My father's child
by SmallSerpent
Summary: It's time for Scorpius, Albus, and Rose to be sorted... and the results aren't exactly what people were expecting. What does this mean for the three? Will Albus and Rose's friendship endure? How will their parents take it?
1. The Sorting

**Author's Note: This is just something that I threw together for fun. I intend to write a second part, in which all three kids (or four if I do James as well, or even five if I do Victoire, but I'm still debating that) have to write letters to their parents explaining what happened, and mainly why they all three made the choices they did. As I said, I'm just doing this for fun. It may or may not turn into something. **_

* * *

_

_"Ah... A Malfoy. I was wondering if another of you would turn up. The old pure-blood families are quite a rarity these days... Let's see... Lots of intriguing possibilities there... Slytherin, perhaps? Your father and grandfather's minds practically screamed Slytherin..."_

_'Yes, and we see how far it got them.'_ Scorpius disliked the Sorting Hat. The very idea that a talking hat could read his mind, and then shout out his finding to a crowded room full of dinners was just... **creepy**, to say the least. Scorpius would honestly almost call it evil.

_"You guard your mind like a Slytherin..."_

_'That is only because anyone with a brain dislikes it when a stranger knows too much about them. Nearly inanimate though you are, you are a stranger.'_

_"Ah! And the tongue of a Slytherin too."_

_'So call it out, if I'm such a Slytherin.'_

_"And the nerve of a Gryffindor... This is difficult. Your father and grandparents were much clearer."_

_'Father would **not** tolerate me being in Gryffindor. Not with the Potter kids."_

_"The Potter **kids**? Don't assume to know a child's mind just because you know a little about their parents. Have I not just told you how different you are from your own father?"_

Scorpius chose not to dignify that with a response.

The hat laughed, _"You are quite the Slytherin, my child. Why are you so opposed to it?"_

_'I already told you; LOOK WHERE IT GOT MY FAMILY.'_

_"Very well... That's two houses crossed off the list. You are an honest boy, deep down. Perhaps Hufflepuff—"_

_'No. Have you heard the things they say about Hufflepuff?'_

_"No. Being a hat, I don't hear much gossip. Pity that."_

_'Don't waste my time with sob stories. I've thought about it. Ravenclaw is the only choice for me.'_

The hat sighed, _"I hate to see a boy limit his possibilities so."_

_'What's wrong with Ravenclaw? My father will accept it eventually, it's a very honorable house, it won't trap me into a redundant life of Dark Arts and separatism that I know my father doesn't **really** want for me, and it's not like I don't have the grades for it! I was top in my class back at my prep school—'_

_"A class of ten."_

_'I had **perfect** grades. I already speak Latin at a third-year level.'_

_"Impressive. But I still don't think you should rule out Slytherin. You **like** the Dark Arts. I can see it right here. You like them almost as much as you like to please your grandparents, and I know they would want you in their house."_

_'We've already been though this.'_

_"You're ruling out houses on false grounds. You're an honest, loyal boy. I can see that. Very Hufflepuff of you. And you're a brave young lad who's always been very kind to girls from what I can tell. You'd do alright in Gryffindor. You've got the grades for Ravenclaw, sure, but you've also got the blood and the personality for Slytherin."_

_'Fine then. Put me where you will.'_

Scorpius Malfoy never looked anything but composed. His grandfather had made sure of that. However, despite the calm look on his face, Scorpius would later refer to this as the single most terrifying moment of his life. It felt to him as though his entire identity would be defined in the next few moments, and he wasn't even the one defining it.

Then he smirked.

_'This is a test, isn't it?'_

_"You're at school. Everything is a test. You'll do well to remember that in..._RAVENCLAW_!"_

* * *

"How long does it take to say 'Slytherin'?" Albus half-sobbed into his cousin's ear, "Don't they realize that there is still half the alphabet waiting to be sorted?"

"I don't think it's something you can rush." Rose said softly, "Malfoy must be mortified... No one's taken this long yet."

Albus looked at Scorpius carefully... or, at least, as carefully as he could from where he stood in the crowd. "He looks mad. Do you think it's possible to have a row with the Sorting Hat?"

"He's a Malfoy. If half the stuff dad's said is true he probably always looks—"

"_RAVENCLAW_!"

The hall went completely quiet. Deputy Headmaster Longbottom snatched the hat off Malfoy's head as though he expected it to bite him.

The son of the Slytherin Prince... a Ravenclaw?

"That's weird." Albus whispered as Malfoy took his seat at the Ravenclaw table and whispers slowly began to move throughout the hall.

"If even he can't be predicted..." Rose looked like she would be sick.

Albus squeezed her hand as Professor Longbottom called out the next name, "Moore, Jonas!"

"We're going to be fine." Albus assured her quietly.

She nodded unsurely.

"Whatever happens—"

"_HUFFLEPUFF_!" The hat called out. The blond boy walked away.

"We'll get through it together." Albus finished.

"New, Rebecca!"

"We're best friends, right?" Albus offered with an assuring look.

"_HUFFLEPUFF_!"

"We have been since we were babies." Rose agreed.

"Nixon, Tomas!"

"And we're not going to let a silly thing like sorting mess that up." Albus assured her.

"_GRYFFINDOR_!"

Rose nodded.

"Pay, Adam!"

"But, Albus..." Rose bit her bottom lip nervously.

"_GRYFFINDOR_!"

"What if we aren't in the same house?" She finished quickly.

"Potter, Albus!"

Albus gave Rose's hand one last assuring squeeze and sat on the stool.

_"Another Potter! Your mother's following in your grandmother's footsteps, isn't she? It was just last year I sorted your brother."_

_'It's just three of us.'_

_"Ah. Thought she'd keep it small, huh?... Now, this is interesting."_

_'What?'_

_"You want to be in Slytherin..."_

_'Yes. My dad says I can—'_

_"And yet you fear it."_

Albus sighed. _'My reasons are a little strange...'_

_"Oh, to say the least. I can see that."_

_'What do you think?'_

_"I think that if you would let me tell you 'no', you'd never last in Slytherin anyway."_

_'I didn't say I was going to let you tell me anything. I asked for your advice.'_

The hat laughed_, "As strong-willed as your father... But in the opposite direction."_

_'It's funny what a difference a name can make.'_

_"Isn't it? Knowing that is the first step to success in_ SLYTHERIN_!"_

* * *

Rose Weasley thought she was going to choke on her own heart. The Great Hall couldn't have been quieter if everyone in it had suddenly dropped dead. As Albus moved toward the Slytherin table, he and Scorpius shared the smallest glance. Rose watched the sense of sudden kinship flick between them. Both had entered school with very high expectations on their shoulders, and both made it their first official act to spit in the face of everyone who'd set those expectations. Both would have to live with the results for the next seven years.

"Rhodes, Alexis!" Professor Longbottom pushed on.

_'Whattodowhattodowhattodo... Oh, Albus, what were you thinking?!'_

"_GRYFFINDOR_!"

_'Dad will disown him... Dad will disown him! Oh no!'_

"Wascon, Lisa!"

_'And me if I go with him! Oh, now I have to choose between Gryffindor and Albus!'_

"_SLYTHERIN_!"

"Weasley, Rose!"

A cold sweat ran down her neck. She was certain her freckled face had a deep shade of red, and made a failing attempt to hide it behind her bushy brown hair.

_"Ah. Yet another Weasley... Conflicted, are we?"_

Rose shut her eyes. This was it. A decision needed to be made now.

"_What to do with you... You have many qualities of a--" _

_'Gryffindor! Please, please Gryffindor! Please!'_

_"Relax, Rose. If it matters that much to you, you probably really do belong in_ GRYFFINDOR_!"_


	2. Their Letters Home

**Author's Note: Alright, here's part two, with all of it's short, letter-y goodness. I'll probably do a chapter on a day in all of their lives now that they're sorted before I give all their parents responces. I might do it the other way around though. We'll see... I'm off to bed. **_

* * *

_

_Dear Mum and Dad, _

_It's James here. Well, you probably knew that as soon as you saw the owl, but anyway... Have you read your letter from Albus yet?! If you have, I TOLD YOU SO! If you haven't, stop reading this now and read it._

_K. So you've read it now? _

_I TOLD YOU SO! _

_What does it mean, dad? Victoire is worried. She says that Teddy says that Mrs. Tonks said once that you told her that you were almost put in Slytherin. But you weren't! You fought Slytherins, right? But now Al is a Slytherin... But Albus is named Severus after a Slytherin... But Slytherins were BAD! Everyone says that. Like the Malfoy's... Only Scorpius Malfoy isn't a Slytherin... Mum, Dad, I'm confused. _

_Other than that... The food was good, I guess... How's Lily taking being alone for the first time? Rose says to tell her hi._

_Oh, and Quidditch Tryouts are next week! There's an open chaser position and I just know I'll get it. _

_Your son (who told you so),_

_James Potter

* * *

_

_Mon __père et mere, _

_This is crazy! Albus Potter is a... Slytherin! I don't know how this happened! What will the papers say?! If our family ends up in Witch Weekly like we're some freak show I'll kill Albus... I can see the headline now: "Son of the Chosen One on the fast track to Death Eaterhood!" They might have to invent the word "Death Eaterhood" just so they can print that article. Oh, I just know they'll show up for interviews tomorrow! And my hair hasn't had a proper perm since early August! What do I do? Do I look like I'm sad that he's a Slytherin? Should I tell them that our family has been worried about him for ages? Should I say we don't care, and that it's his choice? I don't know what to do, père! This is why I'm not a politician! Oh, I wish Teddy were here. He always knows what to do in these situations. _

_All of my love, _

_Victoire Weasley

* * *

_

_Mum and Dad, _

_I got Gryffindor! Isn't it great?! Mum, I'm sleeping in your old dorm! And I'll be wearing the same neck-ties and scarves that you did, and right now I'm sitting in the same common room that you did, and I'll go to the same classes that you did... James says that with me in the classroom and him on the Quidditch field we're bound to win the cup! Wouldn't that be wonderful?! The House Cup my first year here! James says that Hufflepuff got it last year, but we'll get it this year because their star Quidditch player graduated. _

_I would be so happy... If only Albus were here too. I wonder what he's doing in the Slytherin common room right now. Dad, you've been in the Slytherin common room before, right? What's it like? And how can I go visit Albus, if there is any way... I mean, you and Uncle Harry got in... Oh, dad, you aren't really going to disown him, right? I would just die! _

_Please write back soon. I miss you already. _

_Rose Weasley

* * *

_

_Dearest Father, Grandfather, and Grandmother, _

_Give Mother my love, but this letter isn't really for her. _

_Father, Grandfather, I know you two more than anyone wanted a lot from me this year, and the last thing in the world I want is to disappoint any of you, but the fact is this letter may upset you. It will certainly shock you. _

_Before we go on, I must ask that you __do not__ write back soon. I want you all three to think about this and digest it. So, if you would be so kind, read this letter over once, then fold it back up and put it in a drawer in grandfather's study. Think about it for twenty-four hours, please. Then, this time tomorrow, you may all three take it out and reply, either together or separately. _

_After wadding up, throwing away, and restarting this letter four times, I can think of no better way to say this then to strip it down to it's simplest form. No explanations, no questions, no blame, no guilt, no words of comfort and no overshadowing... _

_I'm a Ravenclaw. _

_Know that I do nothing but work to please the three of you (and mother, of course) and that I will continue to do so no matter what. Hopefully winter break will come quickly, so that I can see you all again. _

_Thinking of you always, _

_Scorpius Malfoy

* * *

_

_Dear Mum and Dad, _

_I suppose you've already gotten James' letter telling you how right he was. _

_And he was right. I'm in Slytherin. _

_That's okay, isn't it dad? I didn't want it because I hate muggles or because I think muggle-borns are inferior or anything like that. I wanted it because what you said made me think, and Slytherins have this really bad reputation... and I wanted to prove it wrong. I think that Slytherins can be great people if given the chance. I mean, __anyone__ can be, so of course they can be. But no one gives them the chance, because Wizarding kids are all raised either to be Slytherins, or to think their bad. Maybe if we gave them a chance to be good, they would be._

_And if not, I'll be fine. I have Rose. I'll always have Rose, no matter what our houses are. _

_Hoping you're not too disappointed, _

_Albus Potter_


	3. Enemies, Family, and Friends

**Author's Note: Please review! The making of this chapter was a highly frustrating experience for me! I got it all finished once, and then lost it somewhere on my comp. Oh well, I think this chapter is better anyway. Just a reminder, this series was always meant to be short, so I probably won't write past all of their first weeks at school. Having said that, there is a lot I plan on writing that will happen within their first weeks. Enjoy. **

* * *

"Rise and shine, mates!" John called out, his badge glittering annoyingly in the sun.

For the most part, Scorpius liked the Head Boy. The seventh year Ravenclaw had humble origins, if his old uniform at least a size too long and his callused hands said anything about it, but he had a kind face and other people found themselves inexplicably inclined to listen when he spoke. He apparently got Outstanding on every O.W.L. he took, and always seemed willing to help the underclassmen.

Right now, this "help" proved a little annoying, but Scorpius knew he'd be glad of it later.

"Come on!" The fifth year male prefect followed his lead, "You lot wouldn't want to be late on your first day, would you? Breakfast is in twenty minutes!"

"Twenty minutes?" Scorpius echoed, rolling over so that he faced the wall as the other first-year boys mumbled in agreement, "We have plenty of time!"

The sixth year prefect, Ryan, simply laughed and jerked the blankets off him.

"Time goes faster than you think on your first day." John said simply, "Now sit up, all of you. We still have second and third years to wake up."

The moaning group of first years obeyed.

"Do all of the houses do this?" Alex Adams asked in between yawns.

Ryan smiled as the three upper-classmen filed out the door, "The other houses don't care as much we do."

John paused one step from the threshold, "Now hurry up! We want you all down in the common room looking bright eyed and bushy tailed by the time we finish with the third years."

"Those little brats always take the most time." Muttered Ryan.

"They think they're so cool just because they're teenagers now." Agreed the fifth year.

"You two were third years once too—" The door shut.

The boys all looked at each other carefully. If one of them fell back into bed, it would mean permission for all of them to. On the other hand, if one of them got up, they would all have to follow that person.

Scorpius looked at his blankets, which now occupied the center of the floor.

"No point in me staying in bed." He sighed and stood up.

When he walked around his bed, he found, unsurprisingly, several stacks of neat, pressed and entirely new uniforms.

The other boys moaned and followed his lead, and in minutes they all stood in new uniforms. Though Scorpius needed to help some of the other boys get their ties on.

The moment the first of them put a foot in the common room, the fourth year boys swarmed them.

"Isn't this just a little ridiculous?" Alex asked as the boys check their hair, straitened their ties, tucked in their shirts, and preformed every other service imaginable to make sure the seventeen first year Ravenclaw boys looked flawless.

"It's only for the first three weeks." One of the fourth years assured them while retying Scorpius' left shoe. "...There you go. Nice and tight." He popped back up quickly and gave Scorpius a small push toward the door.

A fifth year girl smiled down at him and thrust a brochure into his hands. "Here you go. Study it hard." She turned gracefully and repeated the process to Alex.

"What is it?" The brunet asked as upperclassmen continued to herd them toward the Great Hall.

"A Guide To Hogwarts." Scorpius read out loud before folding it and shoving it into his bag.

Alex rolled his eyes and opened his, "Never go into the Forbidden Forest." He read aloud. "As there are giants, werewolves, thestrals—"

"That's a convenient rumor." Scorpius laughed, "No one around here is going to be able to see thestrals."

"Actually, I've heard the Potter boys can."

Scorpius looked at him, "What would give anyone that idea?"

"Well, their father can see them." Alex shrugged, "Who knows. Some people say it's hereditary."

"It's not hereditary." Scorpius answered, probably too quickly for comfort.

"How do you know?"

"Oh... you know..."

"No I don't. How do you?"

"I just do!"

"There's got to be a _way_ you know. Unless you were _lyyyyyyyyyyyyying_."

"I wasn't lying."

"So how do you know?!"

"I just do."

"Scorpius is a ly—" Scorpius quickly covered the boy's mouth with his hand.

The crowd took that moment to go silent. Scorpius didn't notice.

"You have to see someone die! I know because my father and grandparents can see them, okay?!"

Everyone froze.

"See what?" One of the sixth year girls asked.

"Oh... Nothing..." Scorpius let Alex go. "Come on! We'll be late!"

The crowd started moving again, but Scorpius could still hear the whispers.

"_What did he say?!" _

"_He said his entire family sees thestrals!" _

"_I hear his dad killed a man at sixteen!"_

"_Yeah, and I bet you __**he**__ breaks the record. The entire family's mental, my dad says, and it only gets worse with the later generations." _

"_I hear his grandfather was the Dark Lord's right hand man before they got arrested!" _

"_Oh, how horrible!" _

"_I heard his grandmother blackmailed Harry Potter into keeping his family out of jail when the war ended!" _

"_And they still had the nerve to send him here?!" _

"_His grandparents used to torture muggles for sport, you know!" _

"_That's sickening! Why didn't he just go to Slytherin where he belongs?!"_

* * *

"ROSE!"

Rose jumped awake.

Victoire stood in front of her, looking like the world would end in five seconds.

"What's wrong?"

"I forgot it! We don't have a Hogsmed visit till early October and I forgot it! What am I supposed to do_? Rose, I don't have a hairbrush!_ And the people from Witch Weekly are bound to come, and I'm the only cousin that's over age! Oh _ROSE_!"

"Why would the people from Witch Weekly come?" Rose asked, moving to dig through her bag.

"Because of Albus! Duh! Focus!"

"Relax, drama queen." Rose passed the brush to her.

"And what about you?! What if the papers come to talk to you?! Your hairs to short for you to worry too much about it—speaking of which, grow it out! Only boy's who want to be hippies keep their hair at shoulder length—but what about your make-up?!"

"What make-up?"

"You don't have make-up?!" Victoire looked like she could die as she pulled her curly red hair back into a pony-tail.

"No. Why would I need it? Does Witch Weekly come often?"

Victoire rolled her eyes, "I _told_ your father that home-schooling was a bad idea for a girl!" She shut her eyes for a moment and sighed, "Rose, dear, your not at home anymore! There are sixty eight boys in your year alone. Seventeen of them are Gryffindors, and at least sixty of them are both available _and_ not your cousin. You've _got_ to wear make-up!"

Rose began to get dressed, "If you say so..."

"Yes! I say so! Oh, Rose, I have so much to teach you about boys! Get dressed quickly! Making you look good might take time, and I can't be late on my first day! I'm Head Girl!"

* * *

Reflexes took over, and Albus stuck out his hands a second before he hit the stone.

"Good morning, Potter." The seventh year boy set his mattress back onto his bed. "Did you sleep well?"

Albus remained quiet. A crowd of other seventh year boys laughed, though Albus couldn't figure out what they found so funny.

"_I asked a question_." The boy flipped Albus over harshly with his foot.

"Yes." Albus said, looking into the prefect's eyes, "Thank you."

The boys continued to laugh.

"That's good."

The group continued to stare down at Albus expectantly. Several of the other first year boys woken, and sat watching the scene unfold silently.

"Can I help you?" Albus asked them all.

"Why are you here, Potter? Is it so you can keep an eye on us report back to your father?"

"That's ridiculous!"

"Or is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Slytherins are bad, right? My father went to school with your parents, and I've seen your brother running around. Your family _hates_ Slytherins. So, I'll ask you again: Why are you here?"

Albus looked down, "I... I don't really know..." He back away, "This was a mistake..."

The prefect kicked him in the gut. "You have until tomorrow to figure it out. If you think it was a mistake now, wait till you see what happens if you can't give us a satisfactory answer." The group left quickly.

Albus remained on the floor for a moment and watched everyone leave. He now noticed that it wasn't just that group that had come. Their small dorm was occupied by at least four Slytherins from every year, and at least a dozen of them were girls!

As the last of the others filed out of the room, the boys in his own year included, he turned his head to find someone holding his uniforms out to him.

He took them, revealing a first year girl. She jumped back as soon as he grabbed the clothes, as though touching him would give her some kind of disease.

"Thank you." He said softly.

She looked away, "They planed it last night... People don't like... You worried them..."

Albus filled in the blanks. "I didn't mean to."

The girl still didn't look at him. She had short blond hair. Albus found her skin interestingly free of freckles. "I wanted to tell you... I really did... but a fifth year saw me coming up here..." She looked over at him hopefully.

Albus' heart stopped beating when he saw her eyes. Albus couldn't believe that a more beautiful color of hazel could ever exist anywhere in the world. He forgot what just happened, and the fact that he now sat on a cold stone floor in nothing but scarlet night pants. He just wanted to stay here with her...

"I'm sorry." She said softly. She smoothed out her skirt and headed for the door, looking injured.

"No! Wait!"

She froze and turned back to him, the hopeful look back in place.

"It's alright. You tried." He stood up. "It was..." He thought back to the sorting, "Lisa, right? You were sorted right before my cousin."

She nodded.

He walked over to her, holding out his hand, "I need as many friends as I can get right now."

She looked at his hand shyly for a moment, then took it. "But please," Her face light up with alarm as soon as they let go, "Don't tell the others! If you aren't really spying for your father, they'll warm up to you, I promise! I just don't want them to think that I'm helping you or something!"

Albus nodded, "I promise. I would never drag a friend down with me."

She nodded gratefully, "I have to go... And you have to hurry! Breakfast starts in five minutes!" She ran from the dorm room.


	4. The Horror that was Breakfast

Albus slid into his seat in the Great Hall hardly five seconds before the food began to levitate up.

"Nice of you to join us." The sixth year girl prefect, who Albus made the mistake of sitting next to, snapped, "If you're late again Vincent Goyal will punch your face in." She gestured to a freakishly large fourth year across from them.

"But I wasn't late!"

"You were the last one here. That makes you late." She began to eat her food, and Albus knew that any attempt to further the discussion would fail entirely.

* * *

Scorpius found his house mates more than a little hesitant to sit with him after his little outburst this morning. He found himself in the corner with more arm room than the meanest Slytherin would ever get, and the subject of many a worried glance from the Staff Table. 

And still, he caught the whispers...

"_The Dark Lord...!" _

"_...At sixteen!" _

"_...Confined to their manor for three years because they let Potter live!" _

"_Vowed revenge on Harry Potter and trained Scorpius to kill his sons..." _

_'What?! How freaking insane are these people?!' _

"Will you all _shut up_?!" He turned to his fellow Ravenclaws, "Nobody in my family has vowed revenge on anybody, okay?! I have no intention of killing Albus, James, Lily, Harry, or Ginny Potter, okay?!"

For a moment, there was silence.

"Er... Glad to hear it!" James Potter's voice shouted from the Gryffindor table.

And then...

"_Notice he doesn't deny all that stuff about the Dark Lord..." _

Scorpius pushed his food away and hid his head in arms. This was going to be a _long _seven years.

* * *

"Victoire, do you _have_ to do that at the table?! You're going to get... powder and lipstick and stuff all over the food." James scooted away from the pair as though afraid of getting their cooties. 

"Head Girls are not late for breakfast." She snapped while apply lip-gloss to a very distressed looking Rose, "And it's hardly my fault that your mother never taught her anything practical in home-school."

"Putting on makeup is a practical art? Right."

"A lot more practical than flying around on brooms and messing up your hair so that you can take on entire teams of gross sweaty men who aren't your husband just to make some 'girl power' statement!"

"Oh,_ Good Godric_!" James rolled his eyes, "I would hang myself if I were your father. What girl doesn't like the Harpies?!"

Victoire didn't answer that, "Alright, Rose, It's not my best work, but it'll do for the first day. Just eat carefully _and don't mess anything up_!"

"Will you all _shut up_?!" This was coming from Scorpius Malfoy "Nobody in my family has vowed revenge on anybody, okay?! I have no intention of killing Albus, James, Lily, Harry, or Ginny Potter, okay?!"

The Great Hall went silent.

"Er... Glad to hear it!" James called out hesitantly, wondering what the Hell they'd been talking about at the Ravenclaw table.

Slowly, the whispers picked back up, and people went back to their business.

"The mail is here!" Rose called as a wing caught her eye from above.

And sure enough, in the next instant the sky with filled with birds dropping letters from anxious parents wanting to know how their kids' first nights went.

_

* * *

Dear James, _

_Yes, you told us so. Your mother and I will try and put a little more stalk in your oh-so-obvious clairvoyant talents in the future. _

_Yes, James, I was almost put in Slytherin, and yes, I did mention this to Mrs. Tonks who shared it with Teddy when he was nervous about his own sorting. Sorting is a strange thing, James. Don't judge your class-mates by what color uniform tie they wear. One of the bravest men I've ever known was a Slytherin, and likewise I've never met a bigger coward than a certain Gryffindor. _

_Lily is taking it as well as could be expected. She and your mother and cousin are off in Underground Lyon now (England vs. France on Tuesday) and that should help take her mind of things. Your mother mentioned taking her and Hugo to the Magi-Zoo down there (it's the largest in the world). However, she and Hugo do seem to miss you three very much. They spent all of yesterday combing through your old books, they're so anxious to start. I think they would like it if the three of you wrote them every now and then this year. _

_I'm certain you'll make the team. It's in your blood. Your grandfather holds several records as a Gryffindor chaser, and I wasn't too bad on a broom myself. That's not even to mention who your mother is! You probably got better training in our back-yard than most kids at Hogwarts could have paid for. You'll do great. _

_Your loving father, _

_Harry James Potter _

_P.S. Your mother sends her love, but it was late when we got these letter and before running off to France she barely had time to write three sentences to your brother, who needed her a bit more. Expect her and Lily to write you from France in a few days. _

_

* * *

Chérie, _

_Relax. We have full faith in Albus. Whatever happened between him and the sorting hat, I'm sure there was a good reason behind it. Harry and my little sister would not raise a purityist child. They are all firm believers in equality, and they will all remain that way. _

_I'm certain your hair looks as wonderful as it always does, and if you are made to speak to the paper for our family, you will tell them exactly what I just told you. _

_You shouldn't be worrying yourself with little things like this. It's your N.E.W.T. Year, and you're Head Girl. Focus on your studies and your responsibilities, not on what house an eleven year old boy is in. _

_...Your mother insists that I tell you that she will send you a home-perm kit in a few days, and you and your friends should be able to do it yourselves in the bathroom. She also says she loves you... and some other stuff in French that she will have to write down herself at a later time. _

_Still missing you after all of these years, _

_Bill Weasley _

_

* * *

My darling little girl, _

_Your father is off panicking about your cousin. Don't worry, he'll come out of it soon, and no, no one is getting disowned. We just need to wait until everyone gets over the shock of it, and our family will be right back to normal, I promise. Your Uncle Harry and I are doing our best to keep the family calm. We might be fighting a loosing battle with Ginny, Lily and Hugo out of the country though. We could use some backup! It'd be nice if you and James would write a few people each, telling them that you two haven't noticed anything weird about Albus lately, and that you two have full faith in him. _

_It's nice to see you so energetic about school. Ginny was a little worried about your studies toward the end of last year, but I'm sure you were just anxious. You'll do great. Yes, it's not very hard to imagine that Gryffindor will take the cup now that they've got the most brilliant girl in the world working for them. _

_Don't worry too much about Albus. As I said before, our family will calm down and go back to normal as soon as we all get over the shock of it, and there is no reason why being in different houses should hinder your friendship if you don't want it to. Did you really think your father, uncle and I limited our friends to Gryffindors when we were in school? _

_Best wishes from your mum, _

_Hermione Weasley _

* * *

When Albus located his owl, he couldn't say it surprised him to find it carrying the biggest stack of envelopes in the Great Hall. He caught the bundle just before it hit his cereal, and began to flip through the names. 

_'Mum... Dad... Grandma... Grandpa... Uncle Percy... Uncle Ron... Aunt Hermione... Uncle Bill... Andromeda Tonks... Uncle George... Is there __**anyone**__ in my family not panicking over this?!' _

Knowing that he would never manage to get all of these read at breakfast, and not entirely sure he wanted to know what some of them said anyway, he slipped them all in his bag.

And then the flashes started.

Rapidly and unceasingly, as a team of reporters from every conceivable new network filed into the Great Hall.

Some went for Albus, some went for Rose, many went for his brother, and some even ran for Percy's twin daughters, Molly and Lucy, who were third year Hufflepuffs.

And then the questions started...

"Mr. Potter, how long have you known that you despised your father's family values?!"

"Mr. Potter, are you worried about what this will do to your parents' images?!"

"Mr. Potter, what first turned you on to Slytherin ideals?!"

"Mr. Potter, do you aspire to be a Death Eater?!"

"Mr. Potter, have you renounced those members of your family that aren't pure bloods?!"

"Mr. Potter—"

"THAT IS QUITE ENOUGH!" A voice shouted from the Staff Table. Everyone turned to see Professor Longbottom standing there, shaking with anger and looking quite distressed to be in the limelight. "These are children! Leave them alone!"

"What about her?" One of the reporters at the Gryffindor table pointed to Victoire. "She's over age! You can't stop us from talking to an _overage_ student!"

Professor Longbottom sighed, "Indeed, _if Victoire agrees_, I cannot stop you from talking to her. However, if _even one_ _of you_ goes anywhere _near_ one of the minors or Victoire without her clear permission, I will press harassment charges on every publication in here."

Three reporters walked out right there, but at least a dozen stayed to talk to Victoire. Albus felt sick. He looked around the Slytherin table and was met with two hundred forty eight curious smirks, and one sympathetic frown from Lisa.

Suddenly having lost his appetite, he shoved his plate away and tried not to look at anyone.

_'What have I done?' _


	5. Class is now in session

"Welcome! Welcome, first year students!" The flying teacher, Professor Creevey, turned out to be a slightly overly energetic ex-beater for the Irish quidditch team. "Gryffindors on my left, Hufflepuffs on my right, please!" He instructed. Obediently everyone stood beside a broom on the side they'd been directed to.

"Oh..." Rose heard a sob by her ear, "I'm so nervous!"

Rose turned to find that the speaker was a Gryffindor girl with long dark hair and chestnut eyes.

"Why?" Rose asked, "Haven't you done this before?"

She shook her head.

"It'll be alright." Rose assured her.

"I'm Alexis Rhodes." She smiled, "And you?"

"I'm Rose Weasley." She smiled back as Professor Creevey began the lecture on respecting their brooms that Ginny gave her a thousand times throughout her home-schooling career. "Not to seem rude, but are you a muggleborn?"

Alexis nodded.

"That's so cool! I've never met a muggleborn before—well, except for my mother, of course—but not anyone fresh!"

Alexis blushed, "So, you've been flying before?"

Rose nodded.

"Have all of the other kids?"

"Not really. Most parents can't afford training brooms. Mine and my brother's were gifts from our Aunt Ginny—she played professionally for the Harpies so name brands will give her stuff like that for free if she endorses them."

"Ms. Weasley!" Professor Creevey called out, "I'm sure that after five years of flying with a member of the Holyhead Harpies you are more than confident in your own ability to pass this class. However, the same cannot be said about everyone else out here today. Kindly let me speak."

"Sorry Professor." Rose blushed and turned back to her teacher.

* * *

Charms passed painfully slowly for Albus. He already knew the basic "swish and flick" motion, though now he had a real wand to try it with, and he found the teacher strange and the subject boring. It helped very little that his fellow Slytherin's made a point of sitting as far away from him as they could, though Lisa shot a glance in his direction every now and then.

He found himself grateful when the bell rang and he could head off to herbology. He needed a familiar face. While most of his classmates took their sweet time and spoke to each other, Albus headed straight for the green-house.

Thankfully, Professor Longbottom sat at his desk without anything else to do when Albus walked in.

"Hey, Albus." Professor Longbottom smiled up at him.

"Hello Uncle Nev... Professor." Albus blushed, unsure of what to call the man.

Professor Longbottom squinted at him, "Something wrong?"

Albus shook his head, "No. I'm just not getting on as well as I'd hoped with some of my classmates."

"They'll warm up to you. Just give them time."

Albus thought about Lisa's promise from easier that day, "Yeah. I really hope so."

The teacher smiled.

"Professor..."

"Yes?"

"Thank you... For what you did this morning."

"Anything for my students." He smiled, "And for my nephews, of course." Although Neville Longbottom was only his uncle by title, not by blood, it felt so great to hear the familiarity in his voice.

"It meant a lot to me." Albus told the man as the first of his classmates entered the room.

Neville shrugged, "Your parents have had to get used to the press, but I see no reason that you kids should need to."

Albus nodded and took a seat.

More and more Slytherins kept coming in, but there was no sign of Lisa. Albus watched for her until every other Slytherin in their year was in, but nothing turned up. By the time she walked in, the only unoccupied seat in the room was the one next to Albus.

_'...Oh.'_

She looked around, frowned, and then took the seat.

After several minutes of taking notes on Professor Longbottom's lecture, she lid a note onto his paper.

_You looked really sad in Charms. _

Albus looked over at her. She met his eyes only for a second, then looked quickly at their teacher and at their fellow Slytherins.

_I was lonely. _He wrote back.

_Sorry._ She replied, and thus ended their conversation.

* * *

By the time third hour Transfigurations rolled around, Scorpius felt almost certain that he would never survive seven years of this. He heard a constant stream of whispers, and all of them were about him. He just couldn't take it! He'd been exceedingly popular at prep school, so why not here?

"Now, if you will all try to turn the feathers on your desk into a needly, I will sit and observe." The teacher took his seat at his desk, and all of the first year Ravenclaws went to work.

"_Ssssp! Scorpius!"_

Scorpius' feather tinted silver.

"_Ssssssp! Scorpiuuuuuss!" _

It grew slightly sharper.

"_Ssssssssssp! Scoooooooorpiiiiuuuuuuuusssss!" _

"What?!" He turned around to find none other than Alex.

"Is it true that when he was sixteen your father poisoned Albus Dumbledore to death and then framed Severus Snape for the murder all on the Dark Lord's orders because the Dark Lord promised to make him his Dark Heir when he took over the Wizarding World and the Dark Lord liked Dumbledore's wand so they desecrated Dumbledore's tomb together to get it, and then your father was defeated by Harry Potter but somehow survived and showed up at the final battle to fight the Order of the Phoenix with his bare hands because Potter took his wand and then left his best friend to die in a terrible fire so that he could chase after Potter in one final attempt to kill him, but was ultimately thwarted when your grandmother grew envious of his favor with the Dark Lord and told the Dark Lord that Potter was already dead when really Potter wasn't dead and—"

"Will you listen to yourself?! If half of what your saying is true there is _no way_ my father and grandparents would be walking freely right now!"

"But then your grandmother was supposed to have black-mailed Harry Potter because she was the only one who knew he was alive so he—"

"_Mr. Adams_," Professor Rice cut in, "As _fascinating_ as your gross misconceptions of recent history are, I believe I gave the two of you and assignment."

Oh yes. A stampede of wild hippogriffs wouldn't stop Scorpius from writing his father at lunch about transferring him to Durmstrang.


	6. Albus' Letters

_My dear little boy, _

_Your father and I have nothing but total confidence in you. You've made a risky decision, and it won't always be easy on you to follow through with it, but if you can help even one confused child it might make all the difference in the world. Your family loves you dearly, and nothing will ever change that. _

_Love from your mum, _

_Ginny Potter _

_

* * *

My youngest son, _

_That's incredibly noble of you, and I'm very proud. The path you've chosen won't be an easy one though. I've seen being sorted into Slytherin absolutely destroy a man's values. You've got a big heart, Albus, always remember to follow it, no matter how many people around you tell you not to. There are some good boys and girls in Slytherin, it's just not always obvious. One thing you should never forget if you want to succeed is that you are going to need to change the way quite a few Slytherins see Slytherins as well as the way others see Slytherin. Many children go into Slytherin just because it's where their parents were Slytherins, and come in with all of these pre-conceived notions that they have to only like pure-bloods. Stay on your course, stay true to your heart, and remember who your real friends are—the ones that will be there for you during the bad times as well as the good—and you'll do wonderfully. _

_Trusting you fully, _

_Harry James Potter _

_

* * *

To my sweet grandson, _

_My-my! I don't think the delicate internal balance of our family has been this upset since I let your Aunt Hermione cook the Easter dinner four years ago (and let's face it, that upset everyone's delicate internal balance, not just that of the family as a whole)! I can tell now you're going to be just like your father. Always causing fusses, but meaning well. You're a good kid, Albus. Perhaps the opinion of your fat, nosy little old grandmother won't matter much to you, but I want you to know that I know that no matter how much trouble you bring, in your heart you know right from wrong, and I'm going to trust you to do what's right. Your father's been difficult to reach since news of your sorting arrived last night from your Uncle Bill, so I haven't heard his take on it or any explanations you might have given him, but I imagine a full-scale family meeting at Grimwald place is in order within a day or so, and I'll hear all about it then. Until I write again, stay warm, study hard, brush your teeth, change your underwear, and for Gods-sake, eat! I don't know what those schools are feeding you these days, but Victoire, Molly and Lucy seem thinner every time they come home! _

_Love, _

_Your Grandma, Molly Weasley _

_

* * *

Albus, _

_It's your old grandpa here! Now, perhaps I'm a bit senile, but I've never thought you the sort for Slytherin. I'm sure there's a good reason behind all of this, and if you could write me back and explain it, your grandmother and I would sleep much easier. Study hard and don't go marrying any pure-bloods! _

_Thinking of you, _

_Your granddad, Author Weasley_

_

* * *

To: Albus Potter,_

Re: Your Sorting

_Body: Well, you've caused quite a mess, haven't you?! The papers will panic, and this won't be good for your parents! I hope you know what you're doing!_

_Signed: __Percy Weasley. _

_Dictated to his secretary, Tamera Paterson _

_

* * *

Albus, _

_I'm trying to trust you. Hermione says I should, and your parents say I should, so I'm trying... but kid, what the Hell is going on here?! People are freaking out! We need answers! What's your plan? How safe are you? How will this effect you and Rose? Once again,What The Hell Is Going On Here?! _

_Write back soon, _

_Your Uncle Ron Weasley _

_

* * *

Dear Albus _

_I love you. Our entire family does, don't ever forget that. Sometimes your mother's brothers aren't the most rational men in the world. Give them time. Time heals all wounds if you use it wisely, and it will heal this. You knew this wasn't going to be easy, and if there is anything I can do for you you need only ask. I know quite a bit about dealing with pure-blooded elitists, you know. _

_With love, _

_Your Aunt Hermione Weasley _

_

* * *

Albus, _

_I trust you. _

_From your blunt uncle, _

_Bill Weasley _

_

* * *

Albus Potter, _

_I hope you know what you've done. Oh, I'm certain that sounds like your Uncle Percy talking, but there's a big difference: **I** know exactly what you've done. So tell me, do you? Your father's guided my grandson through some of the hardest times in his life with amazing skill, considering your father was just a teenager himself when Teddy was born. If this is the one chance I get to repay him, I will not mess it up. Slytherins are easy enough to deal with, you just need to know how to work them. Write me if you need advice on anything. I can even help you on your family. I caused more than my share of family troubles when I married Teddy's grandfather. _

_Your old friend, _

_Andromeda Tonks _

_

* * *

Albus, _

_If you turn into a slimy Slytherin git on me, I'll give you nose bleeds and make you sick at dinner every day until I die. You know I can. _

_Having said that, you won't. So let's move on to more important issues. _

_If your brother is an accurate source, Slytherin's beater is graduating this year. This means the spot will be up for grabs next year. Stay in shape, and I'll give you the training session of your life over the summer. _

_Oh, and little Fred says "Hi". _

_Your crazy uncle, _

_George Weasley _

_P.S. Percy told me he's writing you. I just want you to know that he's an absolute git, and whatever he said, he didn't really mean it. _


	7. Unlikely Friends

Scorpius liked the Owlery. Once you found a place where you felt safe from bird droppings, which really turned out quite easy, as the bird seemed well behaved and only dropped in one area, you could enjoy the quiet and concentration (as long as the sound of wings flapping wouldn't distract you). However, this hardly made his letter any easier to write. For all Scorpius knew, his father and grandparents remained absolutely furious over the results of his sorting, and a letter like this would only tip him over the edge.

"Dear mother and father... no, I'd best include grandmother and grandfather somehow... Dear Loved Ones? No. That sounds stupid... Dear—"

A screech sent Scorpius' attention upward. The Greater Sooty Owl his grandmother received for Yule two years ago swooped into the Owlery, and Scorpius felt his heart sink.

However, when Scorpius went to retrieve his mail, he found it carrying a package as well as a letter.

With his heart beating in his ears, he opened it.

_My Beloved Grandchild, _

_I know you requested we wait to respond, but you worried me with your letter. _

_I could never be angry at you for something so silly. I love you, and so do your father and grandfather. Now don't get me wrong, they're in a bit of a state over this. They wanted so badly to see their heir in their house colors. I, however, understand, and I know you made the right choice. The war against the Dark Lord may be over, but there is still a war going on in our schools and in the darker parts of our government, and busy men like your father and grandfather don't always see that. _

_Don't fret over your father and grandfather. Men are childish beings, more so than a boy will ever understand, I fear. They're going to take a little more time to see the reason in what you've done, but they will. In the mean time, focus on your studies, enjoy yourself, stay strong for your weak old grandmother, and don't let anyone, not even your father and grandfather, tell you who you are. I will not watch your father make the same mistakes with you that your grandfather and I made with him. _

_Your Grandmother, _

_Narcissa Malfoy _

Scorpius felt a smile tugging on his lips.

He torn the paper off the package in one quick movement, reveling a rather large box of chocolates.

He pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment and replied.

_Dearest Grandmother, _

_Thank you. You will probably never know how much that letter and the time that I received it meant to me, and it's unfortunate that I will never be able to tell you in mere words. Know that I love you dearly, and that I will try my hardest to take your advice. _

_Your Grandchild, _

_Scorpius Malfoy _

"Who are you writing?"

Scorpius jumped at the voice. He looked up to find none other than Albus Potter smiling shyly at him.

"Oh... My grandmother... You know... Sorting issues and all..."

Albus nodded, "I know a lot about that."

"Yeah... People are kind of freaking out on you, aren't they? And I can't imagine your housemates are taking it well."

Albus sank down next to him and showed him the bruise on his stomach from this morning, "Are Slytherins always this friendly, or am I just lucky?"

Scorpius laughed, "You're still alive, so you're probably pretty damn lucky... My grandfather told me of something they used to do in Slytherin...centuries ago, mind you... whenever a mud-blood managed to get sorted into their house..." He shut his eyes and shuddered, "But it was all Folk Legends and scare tactics, I'm sure... Why would you want to be one of them?"

"Slytherins need help. Ending the war was just treating the symptoms. It did nothing for the actual problem except prevent it from getting _worse_... and I don't think there's anything we can do about a problem like this without seeing it from the inside."

Scorpius shrugged as he put his letter to his grandmother in an envelope and gave it back to her owl. "You're a braver kid than I. What brings you up here?"

Albus reached in his bag and produced an entire stack of letters.

"Ugh," Scorpius frowned unpleasantly, "And I thought that **three** would be bad."

"I was going to write my replies in the library, but there were a bunch of fifth year Slytherins up there." He turned red, "So I thought 'What's the one place no one will be during lunch?' and then I remembered that all the letters came at breakfast, so no one would be expecting anything and no one is going to want to reply this soon, so the Owlery should probably be free... But I guess not."

Scorpius shrugged as Albus' stomach growled. "Want a candy?" He offered up the box, "I won't be able to eat these all by myself. She sent them when I boarded the last two years as well, and all ten of my classmates and I used to split them."

"You boarded last year?!" Albus asked as, ignoring basic hygiene rules as only two eleven year old boys can, they began to eat where they sat in the Owlery, "With ten classmates?! Where?!"

"Morgan La Fey's Preparatory Academy. It feeds into Durmstrang though, so I lost all of my old friends when I came here... and yeah, there were ten of us. Twenty-two if you included the girls, actually, but they kept the classes separate except for music... and it was only weekday boarding, so this is going to be a little bit harder. What about you? Where'd you go?"

"Nowhere." Albus said, their letters temporarily forgotten, "Well..." He scrunched up his face for a moment trying to remember something, "Mum and dad did try to send James to school once... I remember... It was an old brick building...They had a day-care too that mum wanted us to go to so we'd be used to the place... I don't even remember the name anymore... but every time we'd show up, cameras would start flashing and people would want autographs... mind you, this was when mum still played for the Harpies... and then Lily would start crying because of all the light and noise and then James and I would cry because we were scared... they only tried taking us all for about two weeks, and then dad would drop Lily and I off at the Joke shop and Uncle George would watch us and mum would drop off James, but she still kept getting pestered for autographs so much that James would feel like he was being ignored and get mad... It just didn't work... So mum home-schooled us, and Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione's kids, so that we wouldn't be too lonely... I don't think it's been easy on her though—my mum, I mean—traveling around the world with five kids, going through all that training for Quidditch while still trying to make sure we all keep up with our lessons... She needed the Security Guards to watch us **a lot**... but she did it."

"Sounds like having famous parents can't be much fun."

Albus shrugged, "Home-school wasn't so bad. Because of my mum's job with the Harpies and with the Prophet, we traveled all the time, and she would always try to keep our studies relevant to where we were and show all the interest stuff. It was sort of like being on a tour of the world for five years straight... and the Harpies all gave us flying lessons sometimes! And we got to watch most of her games, though we had to sit with security guards."

"But it can be hard sometimes?" Scorpius asked, sensing the things Albus held back from him, "Like this morning?"

Albus flinched, "Don't remind me... I don't even want to know what Victoire told those reporters. We haven't spoken since before my sorting."

Scorpius sighed, "Why does family care so much about this stuff?"

Albus shrugged, "Adults are weird... You made the right choice though, going into Ravenclaw. I bet their lot's a lot easier to get along with."

Scorpius snorted, despite it being the most un-Malfoy thing in existence, "You'd think, wouldn't you?"

"But not?" Albus repeated Scorpius earlier words, "Like this morning?"

"Well, I imagine they aren't so bad once you get used to not being able to go five minutes without being accused of a pre-meditated murder that's yet to be committed against someone you haven't met yet... of course, I did just meet you, five minutes ago, but before then..." Scorpius shrugged, "Your father is famous, my father is infamous. We're in the same boat... only, you know, your father saved the wizarding world, and my father nearly killed the greatest wizard of the last century."

Albus laughed, "Want to trade? It'd make my life easier."

"Right. I can just see the letters: Dear Father, you know I love you, but I've decided it would be more convenient if I were the son of someone who didn't have gross misconceptions about them lingering around every corner. Under that knowledge, I'm trading you for Harry Potter. Enjoy Albus!"

Albus laughed, "Why do people think you're so bad? You're funny."

"Oh yes. I'm sure I was absolutely hilarious at breakfast this morning."

"Well, it _was_ refreshing to know I don't already have a mortal enemy."

"Were you expecting one?"

Albus shrugged, "My dad had his at a year old."

Scorpius shrugged again, "You've got me there."

"So, what's your next class? Mine's potions."

"Really? Wonderful. Finally, a class with someone that isn't a complete moron that believes everything the fourth years say."


	8. Reactions

**Author's Note:**** I am probably not alone in thinking that this chapter sucks. However, I was quite busy forcing myself through my writers block on another of my fanfictions today, and I think that extracted most of my talent. So, for that I apologize, and in the next chapter we will hopefully get the really fun reaction: Rose's reaction to the new friendship between the boys. Oh, and Scorpius' letters from his father and grandfather will be arriving shortly as well. **

* * *

Abus and Scorpius were two of the last students to find their way down to the dungeons.

They stumbled in, already looking guilty for skipping lunch to eat chocolate, and were met by sharp glares from all of their classmates.

They glanced at each other carefully, and located two open seats in the front and center of the room—which was fine with them, as their classmates looked like they were about to kill them.

The bell rang, and the professor cleared her thought.

"Welcome, Slytherins and Ravenclaws, to your first day of potions." She was a thin woman with dark skin and black hair and eyes. She was skinnier than Albus' own mother, who was athletically built, but not freakishly thin. Albus remembered that she was the head of Slytherin house—or at least the woman who gave him his timetable—but he didn't know her name yet. "I am Madam Mecca, and I will be your potions mistress for the next seven years. I will not judge you, I will not discriminate against you based on your age, house, race, or background, and in exchange I expect _obedience_. There is no reason why any of you should be unable to pass your O.W.L. For this class by the end of your fifth year. In the mean time, in this room we will work on the practical applications of potions as much as the theory, so safety must be stressed. In this room there is to be no running, no yelling, no acting without clear instructions from either myself or the book, no leaving unless it is an emergency—"

"And generally no fun at all." This voice came from behind Madam Mecca.

She spun around and glared at nothing for a moment, before turning back to the class.

"On the contrary, I will show you all how to do a lot of fun things—"

"Notice that she said she would _show_ you fun things. Really, she has all the fun."

She turned back around, "_**Knock**__**It**__**Off**_."

When she turned back, her eyes had a dark and angry glint to them. Albus, Scorpius, and several other students in the front found themselves subconsciously scooting away from her.

"That's right kids." The disembodied voice said, "Scoot along. She's awful scary for you living folks."

"_**Fred**_," She hissed, "_Let me talk to my students_!"

"Don't pay him no mind!" Another voice called out, this one from above, "He's been batty over Mecca since she first stepped into this school, that one."

"I have not!" And with this indignant cry, a teenage boy floated up from the desk.

Albus gasped while most of the other kids in the room began to laugh.

"What?" Scorpius asked.

"That looks just like my uncle!"

The ghost heard this, and immediately swooped over to Albus.

"Do I?" He asked lightly.

They stared at each other for a moment, then laughed, "I don't suppose you'd be James' little brother?"

Albus nodded.

"_**Get out**_!"Madam Mecca left virtually no room for argument.

"There's no need to be rude!" Fred snapped, "Come on Peeves. Let's go mess with Professor Creevey. The little midget..." The two floated upward through the ceiling.

The potions mistress rolled her eyes, "Poltergeists... Stay away from them, kids." She immediately returned to her lecture on Potions safety, and spoke without further interruption until the bell rang.

The two headed out of the room, depressed to find they had different classes next hour, when a voice called out after Albus.

"Oi! Potter!" It was a crowd of fourth year Slytherins who'd came down here for potions next hour.

"What?" He called out hesitantly, not leaving Scorpius' side.

One of them motioned for him to come to them.

Albus and Scorpius began to move over to them together.

"_No_. **Alone**. Leave the Malfoy **traitor** to his own devices."

They glanced at each other nervously, but knew they had no choice but to part. Albus walked over to the fourth years without looking back at his blond friend.

"Where were you at lunch?" They demanded.

"I... I was replying to owls." This was only a _half_ lie, he justified to himself.

"And you couldn't do that at the table?!"

"I...I... Why do I have to?! There were other Slytherins in the library!"

"But the other Slytherins weren't you. Slytherin will not be accused of driving you anorexic! People notice these things!"

"I... Alright." He sighed.

"Get to class."

* * *

"Hey! Scorpius!" This was, of course, Alex. Scorpius was really starting to hate that kid.

"What?" When he turned around, Scorpius found that Alex was not entirely alone, but there was a crowd of other eleven year old around him.

"Leave Albus Potter alone!"

"Yeah!" Another boy cried, "You said you didn't want to hurt him!"

"And I don't!"

"Then why were you pretending to be his friend?"

"I wasn't pretending!"

"Yeah right. Your father would never let you play with a Potter." Alex said.

"How do you know what my father lets me do?"

"_Everyone_ knows about _your_ father." A third boy said darkly.

"So it would seem." Scorpius mumbled.


	9. Letters and Lightning

**Author's Note: I'm terribly sorry that this update has taken so long. I was having great trouble writing the bit I promised with Albus and Rose, and then tonight I realized why: I wasn't ready to write it yet. So, I forced to choose between either forcing myself to do something that I felt would be bad for the pacing of the story to keep my promise to you, or go with my new plan, answer a question that was posed in a review, and finally let you all see how Draco and Lucius fell about Scorpius' sorting. I would also like to inform those of you that don't know and might otherwise ask that, yes, the name I gave for Draco's wife was very much cannon. **

* * *

Scorpius found himself slightly dismayed to see his owl pecking on the window of the Ravenclaw common room. His father and grandfather had replied.

The whispers that followed him everywhere began to pick up again as he opened the window, this time about his secret correspondence with vampires who claim to know where his 'master' was. Scorpius couldn't help but wonder if they came up with all this madness on the spot, or if they spent their free time dreaming these stories up and then waited for a chance to use them.

_Of course_, Scorpius thought as he took the letters from his owl, _I __**do**__ know where the Dark Lord is. Dead. _

He walked back into the dormitories, relieved to find himself alone, for now anyway. He noticed that he held three letters, meaning his mother responded as well, even though Scorpius never really thought she'd care as much. Suddenly wanting to put off his father and grandfather's words, he decided to start with his mothers letter.

_My only child, _

_If your grandmother Greengrass were still alive, it'd give her a heart attack to hear that you didn't think I'd care if you weren't in Slytherin. As it is, she'll roll over in her grave if she ever finds out you're right. You're a Ravenclaw, hm? Well, bring home the grades to prove it, and I think your father will forgive you quickly enough. Mind that you keep up your good study habits. Hogwarts doesn't have schedualed study time like your old school did. _

_The winter holidays cannot possibly come fast enough. My heart aches for you already. _

_Astoria Greengrass-Malfoy _

Scorpius smiled to himself. That was two of four members of his family on his side. His fingers brushed the letters that remained unopened. He spent a moment trying to guess which one would be worse, and decided it would be his grandfather. His grandfather was older. He'd been raised in more 'traditional' times, and had held his views on houses and blood longer than anyone else in the family, no matter how they struggled to modernize.

He took a deep breath, and opened the letter that bore his grandfather's return address.

_Scorpius Hypherion Malfoy, _

_Simply telling me that you are not going to give any explanations does not excuse this. In fact, it makes it far worse. Why have you done this? Don't you dare try and tell me it wasn't entirely intentional. Justify yourself, then we'll talk. I hope for your sake that you have many very good reasons. _

_Awaiting your reply eagerly, _

_Lucius Malfoy. _

Scorpius flinched. Did he honestly have many good reasons? Did he honestly have any reasons at all that his grandfather would consider "good"?

He took one last deep breath, and pulled open his father's letter.

_Scorpius, _

_Didn't you think that maybe it's just a little to soon for our family to be throwing curve balls like this? I hope you know what you've done... Your grandfather's furious, by the way. His letters always sound calmer than he really is. I wouldn't advice responding to your mother and I until you've written him. The last thing we need is for your grandfather to feel like we're ganging up on him. Scorpius, I'll admit that I am not very happy right now, but you are my son. We'll get through this. _

_Love, _

_Draco Malfoy _

* * *

Albus jogged up the dungeon steps, through the hallways, and out of the front doors, praying all the while that an older Slytherin wouldn't see them, and sighing audibly as he stepped out onto the grounds with his prayers heard. Normally he would have been able to go much faster, but at the moment he thought it was better to hold on to the small hand inside of his and hope that no one would see them rather than let go and have them both dash off on their own. She didn't even entirely know their destination yet. 

He pulled her, hoping he wasn't going too fast for her, across the lawn, clear to edge of the Forbidden Forest, and back behind an old stone hut, finally letting them both drop to ground near a pumpkin patch where they would be out of sight of anyone who wasn't looking for them.

Lisa was gasping slightly, and her short blond hair was messy, but she was grinning.

"What if we're caught out here?" She asked, her smiled fading just a little as the thought occured to her.

Albus shook her head, "No one comes out here but the keeper of the keys... At least, James says no one does, and I don't know why anyone would."

She nodded, "But what about the keeper of the keys? He's a little scary, isn't he...?"

Albus laughed out loud at this idea. "Him? Nah. I've known him since I was a baby. He's big, sure, but he's about as friendly as they come. If he sees us out here, he'll probably just invite us in for tea."

The girl nodded, seeming reassured by this.

"Albus," she started, "I wish we could spend time together without having to do this... I like you... I mean, you seem nice, and a lot of Slytherins aren't, I think that we could be friends, but..."

Albus nodded, "I know. You have to look out for yourself until the others like me."

"Which will be soon!" The tone of Lisa's voice told Albus she was assuring herself of this as much as she was assuring him.

Albus nodded just to please her. "In the mean time, this is kind of nice, isn't it?"

Lisa looked up at the sky. Stars were directly above them, but in the distance clouds loomed, warning them of rain tomorrow, maybe even tonight, "Yeah..." She was smiling again, and moving closer to him, "It is, isn't it?"

Albus felt himself blushed, and suddenly the need to change the subject arose as it went quiet. Nothing came to mind.

Luckily, Lisa took the initiative, "I'm sorry if you felt like I was avoiding you all day in class."

Albus shook his head, "I knew why."

"Do you know what you are going to tell Drake?"

"Who?"

"Drake." Lisa repeated, "The prefect that..." She bit her lip.

"Oh. Him." Albus said, not needing her to finish. He sighed, "I really don't. I mean, I know why I did it, I just don't know how to say it in a way that will make sense to other Slytherins, because I spent so much time thinking about what I was going to tell all of the Gryffindors I knew."

Lisa looked worried, "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I wouldn't know what to tell him either."

"You wouldn't?"

She shook her head, messing up her hair even more, "I... my father just wanted me in Slytherin really badly. Between you and me, I've always liked the sound of Hufflepuff."

"Really? That's one you don't hear too often."

"I know. But it's a good house. I mean, they're kind and loyal, and people don't put pressure on them like they do the other houses. Ravenclaws are all supposed to be smart, Slytherins are all supposed to be elegant and pure and perfect, Gryffindors are supposed to be..." She stopped herself and cleared her throat, "Mind you, I was raised by Slytherins, so what I've been told about Gryffindors probably isn't entirely—"

"Say no more." Albus cut her off, thinking of some of the things his older brother or his uncles had said in passing about Slytherins while he was growing up.

Lisa sighed and lay back on the dirt, "The Hufflepuffs can just be who they want. They don't have be stupid just to prove they're brave, or be judgmental just to prove they're pure, or even be a know-it-all just to prove they're smart. They can act like themselves and date who they want and—Ooh!" She bolted back up and pressed herself tightly into Albus.

"What is it?" Albus asked her quickly, drawing his wand clumsily.

"Lightning." She said.

Albus lowered his wand, but she sounded really frightened, so he was careful not to sigh with relief or do anything to indicate it wasn't a big deal.

"Let's go back in!" This time, it was she who began to pull him.

Albus nodded and the two took off running again, this time she kept up. She calmed down instantly once they were back inside the castle. They shared one final look, in which both parties were trying to convey sorrow, thanks, friendship and encouragement all in one small moment, before they unclasped their hands and headed back to the common, Albus a full ten yards ahead of Lisa, trying to look as though they hadn't been out together.


	10. First Night and Second Morning

**Author's Note:**** I am turning into one of those writers who makes plans with every intention of keeping them, and then sits down to type it up and finds her fingers doing something entirely different. I have every intention of having Albus and Rose talk at some point before the end of their second day, but honestly cannot guarantee how long that will be in Real World days. Forgive me. **

* * *

Albus sank down under the covers and tried to relax. It certainly wouldn't make the situation better if he stayed up all night worrying about tomorrow. 

Nothing he tried worked. As an hour ticked away his classmates slowly showed up and joined him, wishing each other good night but never paying any mind to his existence. He wondered, not for the first time, if he hadn't made the complete wrong choice in houses. What would have happened if he'd been placed into Gryffindor? Would he be going to bed with a grin on his face right now, wishing James and Victoire good night and looking forward to a day full of classes with Rose in the morning? Or, if he'd been sorted into Ravenclaw, would he and Scorpius still be swapping stories about their childhood? If he'd been placed in Hufflepuff, would he have made lots of new friends, feeling safe and secure in the knowledge that his Uncle Neville would be right there if anything went wrong? Anything seemed better in that moment than to be huddled under his comforter in a cold room with even colder housemates, waiting to be jumped in the morning.

The dormitory door was pushed open. Albus felt his heart jump into his throat. All of his dorm-mates were already in bed, in fact most were snoring, so he knew that it wasn't someone about to turn in for the night. He turned to face the wall and tried to hide his head in his blankets, hoping that whoever it was would think he was asleep and leave. Even if their night-time visitor had nothing to do with him, Albus wanted to know what they were up to before making any moves.

...But really, he should have known that that was too much to hope for. Albus hadn't drawn his curtains, since doing so made him feel a little claustrophobic, which made it harder for him to get to sleep. Suddenly, a little claustraphobia didn't seem so bad. He could see the shadow cast over him as his visitor leaned against his bedpost and, for a long time, did nothing but study him.

The minutes ticked by. The other first year Slytherin boys didn't stir, and neither Albus or his stalker.

When Albus finally couldn't take it anymore, he flipped over to face his watcher.

It was Drake.

"What are you doing?" Albus asked softly.

The prefect shrugged, "Waiting to hear you snore so that I can knock you out of that bed again."

Albus tried not to show that the statement had any effect on him, but he felt his fingers feeling for hand-holds on the mattress no less. "I thought I had until morning."

Drake shrugged, "I thought you might like to start your second day off a little bit better than you started your first one off... and I'd be happy to let you... if you can prove to me that you're one of us."

Albus frowned.

Though Albus couldn't see Drake terribly clearly, he could feel the older boy smirk. "Unless you need the extra time? But really, why would you? I mean, you belong here, don't you? I personally think I've been terribly generous with the time I have given you."

"Look," Albus started, moving up into a crawling position. "I... I just..." And then the answer that should have been obvious all along hit him: Lie. And lie well. "I don't know why I'm here. The hat thought I belonged here! I just went with it!" Albus spat out. His pulse quickened.

The prefect raised his eyebrows.

Albus sighed internally. _If I'm going to do this, I'd best do it right..._ "My father's probably furious! You think he planned this!? He didn't even respond to my letter! He and my brother aren't speaking to me! All I got was this angry letter from my uncle!" He reached over the side of his bed and into his bag, producing only the letter from Percy, and leaving the rest where they were.

Drake read over it several times.

It was then that Albus noticed that the boys in his dorm had definitely not been asleep. They were now all sitting on their beds, watching the two of them silently with burning eyes.

Drake handed the letters back, his eye contact so harsh it hurt.

"Fine." It was a passing judgment, but he spat it like a death sentence. Albus had to look away. "But you're on very thin ice, kid." He threw Percy's letter down on Albus' lap, turned, and exited silently.

No one else moved. Sixteen eleven year olds stared at him. Albus stared back.

After a few painful seconds, Albus worked up his courage and slide the letter back into his bag.

"'Night." He said softly, climbing back under the covers.

It was almost an entire minute later when he heard another, equally soft, "Good night... Potter." Though he couldn't tell where it came from. The other fifteen boys mumbled in what Albus could only assume was agreement as they also climbed back into bed and drifted off.

* * *

Scorpius had passed out long before he had the chance to respond to his grandfather. He highly doubted he would get around to that any time soon. He had some serious thinking to do before he spoke to the man again. He took some solace in the fact that his grandmother and mother were on his side, his father seemed a lot more indifferent than Scorpius had expected him to, and that his grandfather was at least calm enough not to send him a howler, though his grandmother could easily have played a large role in that. 

On the second day of class, he found that he was the last one woken up. John tapped him lightly on the shoulder, and seemed, rather than the confident adult Scorpius had seen yesterday, nervous and frightened of an eleven year old.

"Scorpius... Um..." He fumbled, "You should probably wake up... if you want to... breakfast is soon... I just thought I'd tell you..."

He darted out of the room. For once in his life, Scorpius was upset that he'd been allowed to sleep in. He quickly pulled his uniform on, and found himself wondering into the common room with a pack of second years. The boys in his own year all seemed to already be waiting by the door.

A fourth year boy looked Scorpius in the eye, quickly looked him over once, then pushed him toward the door despite his clearly crocked neck-tie. Scorpius just sighed and fixed it himself and moved toward the other boys in his year.

"Lorcan! Lysander!" Scorpius looked back quickly to see the boy who'd just pushed him along lecturing two other young boys. "How many times do we have to tell you that you look like dorks?!" At first, Scorpius couldn't tell what he was talking about, but after stepping to his left to get a different angle, he could now see that one of the boys had his wand touched behind his ear and the other had his slid between his head and his glasses. The fourth year rolled his eyes and jerked the wands from their places, nearly knocking off the glasses of the one on the right but fixing it quickly. He handed the two their wands and nudged them on. The twins looked at each other for a moment, shrugged as though they had no idea what that was about, and replaced their wands.

Scorpius let his irritable mood get the better of him. When they passed by, he couldn't help but snap a quick, "You two do know that our uniforms have pockets, don't you?"

They looked at him, looked at each other, shrugged again, and kept moving.

Scorpius sighed, angered by their lack of response for reasons that even he didn't know. He wanted out of the common room. Now. He started walking as quickly as he could he could toward the door.

And his classmates parted for him. 'Parted for him' might not have been the right word. 'Jumped away from him' would probably have been more accurate. He didn't care. He was out of the dorm and down the hall before he slowed down.

Eventually he was back to a normal walking pace. He shut his eyes and sighed, desperately wishing he'd just let the hat put him in Slytherin.

In a flash, he found himself flanked on either side by the twins from before. They were grinning and looking at each like they'd just seen something amazing.

"What?" He demanded, "Did you finally find those pockets?"

The boys seemed un-fazed by this. They were identical twins. They stood at the exact same height, about Scorpius' height, with a matching spontaneous scattering of freckles. Their hair was pale blond, with only slightly more color than Scorpius' own, though considerably thicker and wavier. The one without glasses kept it at shoulder length, and but the one with glasses had hair clear down to his waist, braided loosely and tied off with what, at first glance, looked to Scorpius to be a strip of dragon hide.

"...Well?" Scorpius demanded.

"How did you do that?" The one with glasses finally asked.

"We've never been able to clear a crowd that fast!"

"We spent a good deal of time last year trying..." The longer-haired one agreed.

"And then you turn up and send them running on your second day!" The one with better eyes seemed about to jump out of his skin. "What's your secret? How'd you do it?"

Scorpius blinked at them for a moment, unsure if he was hearing this correctly. "You **like** having everyone in the house hate you?"

The one with loose hair's grin fell into a frown immediately, "Hate?" He looked at his brother, "We can't compete with hate." He thought for a moment, ignoring Scorpius' question, then made a choice, "We'll have to recruit him."

The one with glasses smirked at Scorpius, "Run for the hills."

But Scorpius had no time to do that before the other twin jumped in front of him, effectively cutting off his escape route, and held out his hand, "The name's Lysander Scamander."

Scorpius took it hesitantly, "That must have been dreadful to learn to write. Almost as bad as mine."

Lysander looked offended, "It was much more complicated than 'Scorpius Malfoy'!"

Scorpius felt his lips tug up in a knowing smirk. "That depends on the middle name."

The two started each other down for a moment.

"You first." Lysander ordered, also smirking.

Scorpius just laughed and shook his head.

The other twin held out his hand, though he was noticeably less confident about it than Lysander was. "I'm Lorcan." He said when Scorpius took it and shook. They let go and he smirked, "So, where do you get off stealing our spotlight? Do you know hard we worked last year to become the most shunned kids in Ravenclaw?"

Scorpius felt himself squint in thought. The boy may as well have just told him they'd spent all of last year trying to find the cure for oxygen. It just didn't make sense. "You actually do like being shunned by your peers?"

Lysander shrugged, "Our peers are nothing special, trust me."

Lorcan looked at his brother, "You really shouldn't be saying that..."

Lysander rolled his eyes, "He thinks he's my conscience. I swear."

"Let's just get to breakfast before the others come." Lorcan ordered. Scorpius and Lysander obeyed quietly.

Under other circumstances, Scorpius couldn't honestly say that he would be caught dead talking to boys like these. But they were talking to him, and that put them light-years higher on his 'cool' list than the other Ravenclaws were at the moment.


	11. Weird, huh?

**Author's Note:**** I apologize, my darlings. Nothing happens in this part, though it is mildly amusing, in it's own silly little mildy-amusing way... I simply couldn't get this out of my head, and after a full weekend of deep mental turmoil decided that I would not be able to move on until I wrote this. So here you go. Enjoy! **

* * *

"Will you just stop saying that?!" Albus' eyes shot open. "That's not even possible!" 

He was glad to see that this time he hadn't simply been left out of the loop. The four boys he shared a section with were all just now waking up as well. All seventeen of the Slytherin first years had their beds lined up along one hallway, and walls would appear or vanish spontaneously, dividing the beds up into groups as they pleased. Usually at night they divided the beds so that there were four boys to a section, with five in the last, though often when something big was going on all of the walls would vanish so there was more space to accommodate more people. All of this was according to Drake on their first night though, and Slytherin Prefect or not, Albus wasn't quite ready to take the boy's word on anything.

At the moment half of the walls remained in what Albus assumed was an attempt to spare those still sleep (but that would require thought, wouldn't it? Could Hogwarts walls think?! That was certainly something to write aunt Hermione about...) and the others had vanished to make room for the sixteen girls that now crowded near the door.

Albus pulled himself out of bed, and found the boy directly across form him doing the same. The two looked at each other, but said nothing as they moved toward the crowd to figure out what was going on.

When Albus was about five feet away from the crowd, he made eye contact with Lisa. They didn't say anything to each other—they wouldn't have been able to hear each other over their classmates anyway. She simply pushed her way through the crowd and didn't stop until she was hiding in a dark space between two beds clinging to Albus' arm.

"What's going on?" He asked her, wanting to whisper but knowing that if he did so she would never hear him.

"They think the ceiling is braking!" She looked up at him with wide eyes. Albus allowed himself to steal a glance up.

It looked like she was right. The ceiling was... moving. Dark shadows would drift across it often, and there were... well, Albus could only call them waves, moving through it.

"WHOEVER KEEPS SAYING THAT—"

The door was forced open again, knocking a few girls off their feet or into the arms of their peers. Drake stood there, along side a large group of the older Slytherins, all of which looked thoroughly peeved.

"What the hell are you all doing?!" He demanded of them. "It is five in the morning! If Mecca hears you we can kiss our chances at the house cup good-bye right now!"

One of the girls he had knocked over collected herself enough to wordlessly point up.

Drake looked where her finger directed, and immediately slapped himself in the forehead. "I know I missed something in my intro speech..."

"What is it?" The boy who'd been yell before asked him quietly.

Drake looked at the girl who'd pointed. She was small for their age, both in height and in figure. She had long dark hair, pale skin, and eyes that clearly told everyone she was Asian.

Drake lifted her off her feet with no warning.

"HEY!" She yelled, struggling weakly. The seventeen year old had no trouble keeping her up.

"Who can tell me where we are?" He asked coolly, "Relative to something else, I mean. What are we under?"

Albus and Lisa looked at each other. Everyone in the room knew the answer, but no one wanted to be the one to actually draw the prefect's attention to themselves by answering the question.

"Under the lake?" the Asian said weakly.

Drake nodded. "Under the lake." He held her slightly higher. "Touch it." He commanded.

"The ceil—"

"Yes! Reach up, and tell me what you feel!"

The girl obeyed with a trembling hand.

The younger kids all gasped as her hand went up, right through the still moving ceiling.

Then she pulled it back out. A drop ran down her wrist.

"It's water?" She asked Drake.

The prefect nodded almost gently and set her down.

"If you'd keep your lights off like you're supposed to you wouldn't even notice." Drake lectured, gesturing to the lit candles all around them. "But yes, it's water." He pointed and followed a moving shadow, "That's a fish. The waves probably mean rain. Alright? No one is going to die. It's rain." He watched another wave roll past. "Probably a lot of it. Expect to have your flying lessons postponed." Everyone moaned. Drake ignored them. "Now everyone back to bed." The older students and the girls left without another word.

* * *

Once again, breakfast rolled around and Scorpius found himself considerably alienated from the majority of his peers. This didn't matter so much today, however, because Lorcan and Lysander had joined him. 

Scorpius first began to ponder how different their childhoods must have been when the mail arrived. Scorpius got the same thing he'd gotten every day since he was nine: A box of sweets with a mushy note from his grandmother, though this note had an added paragraph about not worrying about his grandfather.

The twins also received mail from a grandparent. The twins each received two packages from their grandfather, Xenophilius Lovegood, one of which contained some odd vegetable that Lorcan explained were Dirigible Plums, and the other contained the September issue of _The Quibbler_.

"You two actually subscribe to _The Quibbler_?" Scorpius asked in disbelief. The magazine was famous for two things: One was being the only publication to stand by Harry Potter during his fifth year at school, and later when he was running from the law, and the other was being total rubbish. Neither was exactly smiled upon in Scorpius' past circles.

"Our grandfather's the editor." The twins said in unison.

Scorpius couldn't make up his mind as to whether that was better or much, much worse.

After a moment of indecision, he brushed it off with a simple, _'well at least that answers one question...'_ and pushed on to the next, "And... Why is he sending you plums?"

"_Dirigible_ plums." Lysander corrected. "He grows them himself."

Lorcan answered Scorpius' next question before he even had a chance to ask it, "It's supposed to help us be open minded about the supernatural or some rubbish like that..."

"Does it?" Scorpius asked.

Lorcan looked at him as though he'd just sprouted a second head.

"We don't know." Lysander told him coolly. "We don't exactly keep them for very long. Professor Longbottom or Professor Mecca are usually more than happy to accept a small supply of them once a month."

"They're happy," Lorcan finished, "We aren't lugging around jars of vegetables, and as far as our grandfather knows we are 'open to the extraordinary'... everyone's happy."

"What'd you get?" Lysander asked.

Scorpius opened the box and held up a sugar cookie, "Weird, huh?"


	12. Breakfast and Brothers

**Author's Note: Those of you with a good or fresh memory of the first book will understand why Narcissa and Lucius laugh at what Draco says. Those of you who do not, don't worry about it. **

**To touch on the Fred issue: I will clarify later, as I had always planned on doing it. It will, however, more than likly be James or Victoire who explains things to Albus and Rose, not Fred himself. They've been around for a little while, so they've already done the digging around and figure out the answers. However, since Albus hasn't had any contact with Victoire and James and Rose hasn't had any contact with Fred (it will happen soon, I promise... Wow. Twelve chapters and it's only the morning of their second day!) it can't happen quite yet. **

**As far as the twins go: Yes, they are Luna's sons, as I'm sure you all knew, and they are the great grandsons of Newt Scamander, the man who wrote Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Yes, last but not least, those names are cannon. **

* * *

Albus found that today he was not forced to sit near upperclassmen and hope that he wouldn't get beaten up. He was actually woken up at the same time the boys with beds around him woke up, and he pulled his uniform on and made his way up to breakfast with them. While none of them were overly talkative, they all seemed entirely content to sit near him and at least let him get in his foot in the door of their circles.

Drake was right, as much as it stung Albus inwardly to admit it. The sky was pouring rain. Although the great hall remained entirely dry, since the sky was only a copy, anyone who felt the need to look up would be dreadfully out of luck. The rain, which stopped a mere inch above the heads of most of the seventh years, was so thick that Albus couldn't even see the area where the owls entered, though much to his surprise, some did enter.

In fact, as breakfast wore on, roughly one hundred owls swooped in, all drenched, but with their packages almost entirely unharmed.

About half way through the meal, Professor Longbottom and Professor Creevey entered, quickly closed the large umbrella they'd been sharing, and walked across the room toward the staff table. Albus noticed that the bottoms of their robes and the edges of their sleeves were completely soaked. It really must have been raining as hard out there as it was in here.

Professor Longbottom whispered something into the ear of the headmaster of the last few years, Professor Luther, and was quickly joined by a woman that Albus didn't recognize. The headmaster nodded, waved the woman back to her seat, and Professor Longbottom and Creevey went exited the Great Hall, undoubtedly to change into something dry.

The headmaster stood, cast a quick voice amplifying spell on himself, and cleared his throat. The hall fell silent.

"Now," He began "Most of you are aware that we were recently hit by a storm." He paused, as though waiting for someone to shout out 'DUH!'

Well, no one was quiet stupid enough to shout it, but Albus certainly heard it whispered a few times.

Professor Luther obviously didn't. He went on. "Due to the unforeseen storm, there have been some small and indefinite changes in some of your class schedules. Flying lessons for first year Ravenclaws and Slytherins are postponed, as conditions are not fit for novice fliers. Students may use this time to study in their common room or better familiarize themselves with the castle, but anyone found to be disrupting their peers will land themselves a detention. Herbology will meet at the times you were previously given in the empty classroom on the fourth floor. Astronomy will meet at it's scheduled time in the Divination room, and all Care of Magical Creatures students shall find themselves sharing the Muggle Studies classroom. For the comfort of our teachers, we are pulling all adult supervision from the outside grounds, therefore you may all consider it temporarily off limits. We will be setting up wards shortly, so if you leave the castle while the outside world is off limits _we will know_. Now, I bid you all have as much quiet, safe, and respectful fun as you can inside the castle until the weather clears. You may all return to your meals."

Most students were much to busy complaining to worry much about their meals. Albus, on the other hand, could accept everything he'd just been told, though he was of course disappointed about his flying lessons, and worried about whether or not Hagrid would continue to work outside if the conditions were really as bad as they made them sound.

Something felt wrong though... What was it? Albus looked up and down the table and it hit him. Lisa was missing! How long had she been gone? He was certain that she'd walked up there with the crowd. And why would she even leave, for that matter?

A flash quickly answered his last question. There was a storm outside. The ceiling reflected the sky outside. Outside there was lightening, therefore there was lightening in here. Lisa was afraid of lightening.

Albus relaxed just slightly, but felt bad about not noticing sooner. She surly wouldn't have stuck around very long. He grabbed a few pieces of bacon and some unbuttered toast, wrapped it all in napkins, and headed back down to the dungeons.

Sure enough, he found the girl alone on the common room sofa, clutching her knees to her chest and trying to look like sitting alone in a dark room underground didn't bother her.

"Hey." Albus said softly.

She looked up at him and smiled. "You came for me?"

He nodded, "Sorry it took so long." He held out the food, which she took quickly.

"Don't worry about it." She told him. "I'm just glad you came at all."

Albus sank down next to her, glad to be alone in a lightening-free area with her, "I checked our time-tables." He told her. "We have Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Gryffs first hour." He could feel himself smiling just at the thought of finally having a class with Rose.

"The Gryffs? That should be... interesting."

Albus shrugged. "It'll go great. I'm sure of it."

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Lisa warned, "Drake is barely accepting you. I wouldn't be rubbing elbows with too many Gryffs just yet."

"Yeah, sure. I'll keep it casual. I just want to talk to my cousin." He brushed her warning off, "Our flying lesson was called off, you know."

Lisa nodded while she chewed. After she shallowed, she matter-of-factly responded, "Drake said it would be."

"Oh. Right. The all knowing Drake." Albus rolled his eyes.

"Look," She said gently, "I know you two didn't get off to the best start, but he's really not so bad once you get past the–"

"The part where he threw me out of bed, harassed me in the middle of the night, threatened me, and gave me this?" Albus lifted his shirt to show her that he still had the bruise from yesterday morning.

"Well..." Lisa sighed, "Yes. It's not like he really hurt you, or he didn't give you a chance. He's not that bad, really! It just takes a little time to get on his good side..."

"How do you know?!"

The girl giggled nervously.

"Lisa...?"

"Didn't I mention that part?" She asked timidly.

"Lisa!"

"Please don't hate me..." She muttered, "He's my step brother."

* * *

"Too bad about your flying lesson." Lysander said to Scorpius as they dug into their food again. "That's really rotten luck."

"The storm will pass soon." Lorcan said dully. "I give it a day, three tops, before the weather is calm enough that they let us back outside and you're on a broomstick."

Scorpius shrugged, "I've had a training broom since I was six anyway, and a real one since my tenth birthday. I'll live."

"You've had your own broom since you were ten?!" Lysander double-checked.

Scorpius nodded dully. "Only a Nebula 9.0 though." The young blond sighed.

"Isn't that what James has?" Lysander asked his brother.

Lorcan ignored his twin and turned to Scorpius with mock sympathy instead, "Oh yes. It must be just dreadful flying around on the _third_ fastest broom in existence."

"**Fifth** fastest." Scorpius corrected, sounding mildly offended. "The Lighteningbolt line has really picked up these last two years. Actually, I tried to get father to buy me a Lightenbolt IV, but he said that he wouldn't let me bully him into me a new broom my first year when we weren't allowed to have them at school anyway... I think he might have been lying though, and he's saving it for Christmas or something, because when he said that my grandparents looked at each other and started laughing..."

The twins nodded. Listening was a skill of theirs. _Caring_ really wasn't, unless it was important, but listening was.

"But I suppose," He said dreamily, "That if I make the keeper spot that's coming open next year," In the Ravenclaw brochure, which Scorpius had eventually looked at just to see, out of morbid curiosity, if there was a section on rumors, it gave a list of when all of the players currently on all house Quidditch teams were graduating, "It shouldn't be too hard to talk grandfather into buying new Lighteningbolts for the whole team... assuming he hasn't disowned me for being in Ravenclaw at all by then, that is..."

"Your family isn't too happy about your sorting?" Lorcan indulged him.

Scorpius shook his head. "I don't suppose you two had to go through that?"

"Nope." Lysander said. "Sorry. **Both** our parents were Ravenclaw."

There was a moment of silence between the three before Lorcan spoke, "Would your family really disown you just for being in Ravenclaw?" Whatever nerves in the human body made you feel like you should care, Lorcan's were being ticked. This wasn't quite as trivial as broomsticks.

Scorpius shrugged. "Who knows? My grandfather cared about me getting into Slytherin... but my grandmother says that first and foremost he cares about what's best for me. It's just a matter of waiting around until he realizes that Slytherin **isn't** what's best for me... If that ever happens."


	13. Every Rose has its thorns

**Author's Note: May I just begin by saying that I am sorry that it's taken me so long to update not only this story, but this site in general. I've been in something of a mood lately, but I believe I am fine now. That said, next week I have finals, and the week after I have CSAP testing (though that will make little sense to those of you that don't live in Colorado) so I my updates may continue to come slowly until Spring Break. That said, I still find good reviews quite motivating. **

* * *

"He's my step brother."

For a moment Albus just blinked at her. He did not just hear what he thought he had heard. There was no way. He wouldn't have heard that, because she wouldn't have said that.

"I'm sorry...?" He looked up at her hopefully.

She rolled her eyes, "Albus I'm serious!"

"So am I!" He snapped back, "You honestly expect me to believe that that stupid bully is your older brother?!"

"**Step** brother!" She corrected, as though that somehow lessened the offense. "And don't call him that!"

"But he is your brother?! Someone you live with, grew up with, consider a part of your family, share parents with, and can tolerate to be in a room with?"

"You're being a little harsh with that last one, don't you think?!"

"No!" He yelled, "What part of 'I have bruises,' don't you understand?"

"The part where it has anything to do with me!"

"He's your brother! You were actually raised by the same people!"

"So?! Albus, you of all people should understand—" She stopped talking as a fourth year girl entered.

"Class in ten!" The girl called over her shoulder to them before vanishing into the girls dorm. Though the open door they heard her wail, "Oooh, Salazar, I'll be late for divination..." and then her voice faded.

The two looked at each other almost fearfully for a moment. Then Albus felt his face melt into a glare instead. He rose from the sofa and exited the common room without another word.

* * *

Rose Weasley squirmed slightly as she sat in the front row. Class with the Slytherins... part of her was screaming _'FINALLY!' _and the other part was lamenting and dreading the experience.

Alexis was right next to her, looking almost green with fear.

"Are you alright?" Rose asked quietly.

The girl looked down and shook her head. "Is it true? What they say about Slytherins, I mean? Do they really hate and torture muggleborns?"

Rose looked down at her desk and thought about the question. From the things that James and her father said, yes, it was true, but it certainly wasn't true of Albus, or of Mrs. Tonks, and the hat tried to put her uncle Harry into Slytherin when he was fresh from the muggle world, didn't it?

"No." She said, hoping the Slytherins wouldn't do anything dramatic to prove her wrong. "It's a stereotype. Some will fit it. Others wont."

Alexis relaxed slightly. "Really?"

Rose nodded. "Really..."

She looked up briefly to find the teacher arching his eyebrows at her.

Professor Lin was a well built Asian who was famous for winning dueling championships from China to Canada. This was the first time Rose had ever seen him, but her uncle Harry frequently spoke in his upper level classes and was on a first-name basis with the man, so Rose expected to like him.

She gave him a weak smile. She hadn't lied.

His gaze didn't soften.

Well... she truly _hoped_ she hadn't lied.

It was at this time that the first Slytherins began to join them. There was no trouble. Those who even knew to have a problem with Alexis and Rose's blood simply looked at them with distaste and kept their distance. Alexis relaxed a little, and Rose went back to fidgeting nervously in anticipation of seeing Albus.

* * *

Finally, minutes before the bell, Albus entered and quickly took a seat next to Rose.

"This is bad, isn't it?" He whispered to her, glancing briefly up at the clock. Their classmates were all talking now, most of them a great deal louder than they were, so their conversation would not be overheard.

"This is very bad." Rose agreed. "I don't think my father is too happy..."

Albus rolled his eyes, "Trust me, your dad wasn't anywhere near the worst."

"Albus," She hissed, "Why did you do this?! We both know you belong in Gryffindor! Hell, you probably belong there more than I do!"

"Rose..." Albus paused. This was a complicated topic. He would have to explain it differently to everyone, so everyone would understand, without changing what he was saying. "I don't... I don't think they are so bad. I want to help them, and in order to do that I thought I'd have to be one of them."

"Albus, that's so stupid! If you want to become best friends with the Slytherins invite them to tea! Don't join their stupid muggle-born hating group!"

"Rose, we both know that—"

The bell cut him off. Professor Lin cleared his throat and casually pulled out his wand, and the hall fell silent.

Rose shot Albus a glare that silently promised they would continue this later, and their teacher began to speak.

"Good morning, first year Slytherins and Gryffindors, and welcome to your first lesson in Defense Against the Dark Arts..."

The lesson passed painfully slowly. As usual on a first day, most of what they discussed was the class syllabus, disciplinary policy, rules, a very brief overview of what they would be covering this term, and why Defense Against the Dark Arts was an important class.

Albus felt like beating his head on the desk through the entire lesson. His father was Harry Potter for the love of Merlin! He knew how important being able to defend ones-self from the dark arts was. Right now, his fights with Rose and Lisa seemed much more important, but _no_ the stupid school wanted him to sit here and listen to a man drown on about how all dark wizards eat babies (okay, so he was paraphrasing there, but you get the point...). He missed home school already. His mother had certainly never sat them down and forced them to talk about the punishment for being late to class more than five times a semester while he and Rose were fighting. It wasn't as though Albus expected the entire school to stop just for him and his personal life, but this whole schedule thing was certainly going to take some getting used to.

Mercifully, the class did not last forever, and Albus believed he had never heard anything sweeter than the ringing bell. He seized his cousin by the arm and practically ran toward the door with her, earning a stern look from the professor and slowing down.

"Rose," He said finally, when he felt they were out of ear shot, "I really need you to trust me on this. I'm not going to become a Death Eater—"

"But Albus, you don't know that!" She insisted, "Think about the stories your father has told us! Does Severus Snape seem like he was a bad man to you? But he made a bunch of mistakes—one of which was becoming a Death Eater—just because he was sorted into Slytherin!"

"But there _aren't _any Death Eaters anymore! There is no reason why all of the houses can't get along!"

"Then what does my mother still go to work everyday to fight for?! There is still pure-blood bias in the laws! Maybe the original Death Eaters are dead and gone with their master, but there are still groups like them out there! Groups that you are going to spend the next _seven years_ rubbing elbows with!"

"Last time I checked," A voice to their left said, sounding somewhat hurt, "Quite a few of Voldemort's Death Eaters are still alive. Do you know something I don't? Should I write home?" Scorpius Malfoy stepped in front of Albus defensively, glaring at Rose, "Anyway, _knowing_ a certain type of people doesn't make you one of those people."

"Scorpius," Albus was the first one to speak again, "What are you doing up here? I thought you had History of Magic last hour..."

Scorpius nodded, "I did. I came up here looking for you. I thought that since we both had our flying lessons canceled you might want to explore the castle with me..." He turned and glared at Rose again, "But I can see that you're busy."

"No!" Albus grabbed the other quickly as he turned away.

"Albus!" Rose looked alarmed, "You're really going to run off with him?! Have you heard the things they say about him?!"

"Have you heard the things they say about me?!" Albus shot back.

"Ms. Weasley!" Professor Lin didn't give Rose a chance to answer. He was standing beside the doorway to his classroom down the hall, "Albus and Scorpius have the next class off. You do not. Get to class... and stop yelling before I take points from all of you!"

Rose glared hotly and headed down to her Potions class. For a moment, Albus wanted to call her back, but Scorpius gave him a stern look and pulled him in the other direction.

Albus sighed and silently noted the irony. Drake hadn't done a thing to him today, and he'd still managed to get the day off to a horrible start entirely on his own.


	14. Sorrows and Secrets

**Author's Note:**** I'm sorry. I'm sure this part seems like nothing is happening, but bear with me. It is needed, and there was really no way for me to jazz it up for you. The next part will be out... whenever it's out. I'm thinking two weeks at the absolute maximum. In the mean time, please review. **

* * *

"Are you sure this is the place?!"

"Certain."

"But nothing's happening!"

"Then we aren't doing something right! My father doesn't lie."

"I know!" Albus sighed, "My father's mentioned it too, but it's supposed to open by now. You should only have to walk past three times. Do you suppose that they sealed it off somehow after the war?"

Scorpius shrugged, "Could be..."

The darker haired boy sank down the blank wall, "I'd really wanted to see the place, too."

"Whatever the Room of Requirement would look like." Scorpius agreed.

"Maybe that's the problem?" Albus offered, looking up at his friend.

"What?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure it looks however you need it to look, so maybe it won't work because we don't actually _need_ anything. We just want to see it."

"Maybe..." Scorpius agreed. "We'll have to find something that we need to hide and come back sometime."

Albus nodded. Scorpius joined him on the floor.

"So..." Albus said after a moment of uncomfortable silence, "How's being a Ravenclaw working out today?"

"Only slightly less dreadful than yesterday."

"That's... slightly good?" Albus tried.

Scorpius glared at him. "And you? Your cousin seems awful soar at you."

Albus shrugged. "She's worried. She thinks I'm going to get involved in the dark arts and some stupid stuff like that."

Scorpius let out a "Hmf. Awful judgmental for a Gryff."

"Hey! I thought the whole reason you didn't want in Slytherin was to avoid the dark arts and other evil stuff!"

The sentence shot a jolt of alarm down Scorpius' spine, but he struggled to remain outwardly calm.

_'Well, I never really said **that**...'_

"Yeah," Scorpius agreed, hoping his voice sounded much steadier to Albus than it did to himself. "But I'm allowed to say that, because I live with four Slytherin and they've all told me stories... and you're allowed to say that, because you are a Slytherin currently, but she doesn't have the right to judge us—them—you. You." He flinched but pushed on, "She doesn't have the right to judge you. She doesn't know."

Albus looked at him oddly, but nodded.

"I guess in a weird way it's a good thing we both got ourselves sorted into the wrong houses." Albus said, trying hard to salvage the conversation, "Because if we hadn't we probably wouldn't like each other."

"Yeah..." Scorpius agreed with a small smile, "We'd probably just assume we were both just like our fathers—"

"When we're really not."

Scorpius nodded, "And become enemies by default or something."

There was another moment of silence.

"So..." Scorpius said, "How has your day been? I noticed you were actually sitting with first year Slytherins today."

Albus nodded, "You know, as much as I wanted to be accepted by them yesterday, I really don't think I like them very much. I may have been sitting near them, but they wouldn't talk to me. I had to force myself into any conversation, and when they talked to each other it was always about how much they love the Heidelberg Harriers."

Scorpius smiled. "That's how Lorcan and Lysander said I'd feel about the Ravenclaws."

Albus looked stunned, "Oh dear. You've met the Scamander twins?" He smirked playfully. "You don't seem like their sort."

Scorpius laughed, "More like I was cornered by them. But they're kind of cool. Do you know them?"

Albus nodded, "They've been my older brother's best friends pretty much since they were in diapers... up until last year, that is."

"What happened then?"

Albus shrugged, "We have no idea. They came home for the summer and we found out they hadn't spoken in months... Merlin, I really hope that doesn't happen to me and Rose."

"I'm sure it won't." Scorpius told his friend, but the words sounded hallow even to him.

Albus was quiet.

"Don't let it." Scorpius told him, looking at him and putting a little more feeling into his words. "You and I are in a rough spot. We need what few friends we can get."

Albus pulled his knees into his chest, "But how do we even know who our friends are? I mean, three days ago I'd have said that the chances of me spending my time off here, sitting up against the wall in Slytherin uniforms next to **you**, were so low you might as well call it impossible... yet, here we are. James and I aren't speaking, you and I are friends, dislike their tastes in Quidditch though I do, the male Slytherin first years are warming up to me, Rose and I are fighting, Lisa and I are fighting—"

"Who?"

Albus quickly retold the story.

"Albus!" Scorpius scolded when he got to the end, looking at him in disbelief.

"What?!"

"Hello?! You're doing the exact same thing to her that her brother did to you."

"I am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too. Her brother assumed that Slytherin house couldn't trust you because you are related to someone who fought a group of Slytherins ages ago, and now you're assuming that you can't trust Lisa because she's related to someone who you've been in fights with. Are too."

Albus sighed, "Now you're mad at me too, aren't you?"

Scorpius was quiet, but he didn't move. Albus wanted to assume that was better than him snapping 'Yes.' and walking away.

"But what would you do if you were in my position's?" Albus pressed on, trying to get him to speak again. "I can't just pretend that he brother didn't throw me out of bed, kick me, and threaten me."

Scorpius played with his lip for a moment. "Maybe you don't have to. I mean, our fathers tried to kill each other on more than one occasion... they came pretty close a few times, too... and it doesn't make things between us weird."

"Because that has nothing to do with us!"

"Then why does what Drake did need to have anything to do with Lisa?"

Silence took over once again.

"I've really screwed this up, haven't I?" Albus asked after a small eternity.

Scorpius nodded, "And it isn't even lunch yet... but luckily, that means you still have time to fix it."

"If Lisa will forgive me..." He said solemnly, "I've got to go find her." He stood up and left.

Scorpius nodded and watched his friend jog down the hall. As soon as the Slytherin was out of sight, he leaned back against the wall, shut his eyes, and sighed with a mixture of relief and sorrow.

Now he knew what he needed to hide.

With one final decision, he jumped up and dashed for his common room. Thankfully, there were only two other first years studying in the common room. He tried to look casual as he slid into the first year boy's dorm and opened his trunk.


	15. Hiding and Seeking

**Author's Note:**** Sorry that this one has taken forever to get out. I really meant to get it out some time last week, but with CSAPs and the ten thousand things that have come up in my personal life that just really didn't happen. I had actually planned to go a little further with this chapter and actually have him find Lisa, but I'm due at a friend's house in half an hour and don't think I have time. Because I have so little time and such a soon deadline (I did, after all, promise I would have this updated in no later than two weeks, and this is exactly two weeks) this is hardly edited at all (and let's face it, I'm not normally queen of the editing anyway) so please endure with me on any mistakes and I will likely correct the ones I find later and re-upload when I have time. Also, if you guys want to give me something to really throw in the face of the readers of my other story, submit sixteen reviews (please make them all longer than two words though). It took me like 43 chapters on my other fic to get this many reviews, so I'm quite impressed with what I've gotten here for just 14. **

* * *

Scorpius leaned against the wall in the Room of Requirement and shut his eyes. This was why his father had told him about this room. Not so he and Harry Potter's youngest son could satisfy their nubile curiosity. He raised his arms, not letting go of the objects they clutched. Never before had they felt so heavy, not just with worn and dark pages, with with guilt and shame... 

Oooh... but why? It's not he ever told Albus he _didn't_, or even that he _wouldn't_. It had just never come up. Albus had assumed... 

And that actually made it worse. When people assumed the best about Scorpius he didn't like having to tell them that they were wrong. 

Maybe Albus would understand? Albus was a Slytherin... Maybe if Scorpius just waited a few months and didn't tell Albus, he would see enough of it around the Slytherin common room that he would see that it wasn't really as scary as the Light had always made it out to be, and he'd be fine with it. Harry Potter couldn't be right about everything, could he?

_'...Could he?'_ Scorpius' conscience echoed, _'Could he __**really**_

Scorpius would have liked to tell it to go fuck itself, but consciences don't really respond to that sort of thing, so instead he promised it he would try to keep his lying to a minimal and extract some form of penance from his history book. 

Scorpius opened his eyes and looked around, wondering what he and Albus would dig up to hide in here later. The room he now sat in was bigger than any other room he'd ever been in. It was easily ten times the size of the Great Hall, and was filled, in some places from floor to ceiling, with various objects that millions of students must have stashed in here over the last one thousand years. 

Scorpius stood up, holding his secrets to his breast since they were two heavy to carry with one hand, and looked around for something he could use to mark wherever he hid them, because, even if he didn't really want to think it, he knew very well that he would be returning here later. 

He located dragon egg shells surrounding a hideous stuffed troll, and figured that would do as well as anything. He dropped the books in there, being careful to keep all thirteen volumes of The Encyclopedia of Dark Arts: A-M together (he hadn't had room in his trunk for N-Z).

He looked them over, assured himself that they would be safe, and that if they weren't then he could always replace them and they didn't have his name on them, and walked away.

As he headed out of the room, he wondered distantly if it would prove Rose right if things went as he was hoping they were going to go. 

_'Will being in Slytherin change Al?' _He hadn't known the other boy long at all, but he'd seen enough of him that he didn't think he wanted him to change. Anyway, the possibility brought up a disturbing second question...

_'Will being in Ravenclaw change me?'_ You were supposed to change while you were at school. Scorpius knew that. But it was supposed to the be the get-taller and do-your-homework-more-often sort of change, not the vast personality changes that it would take to go from belonging in one house to fitting in with another. Maybe this was why his parents hadn't wanted him in Ravenclaw. 

He signed, turned around to face the small library of Dark Arts books, and knew without a shadow of doubt that that would never be the case. He could tell the Sorting Hat anything he liked, but on the inside he would always be the product of over a hundred generations of Slytherins. 

* * *

Finding Lisa was no easy task. She hadn't been in the Slytherin common room, the Great Hall, the library, or the Owlery, and by that time Albus was getting royally lost. 

The bell, ending their free hour but thankfully starting lunch, and Albus set out once again for the Great Hall, assuming that she would be eating at the Slytherin table. 

He got lost a grand total of three times before finally locating a teacher (though he didn't know who she was) and asking her the way, only to discover he was two halls down. He finally stumbled through the Great Hall only to discover that most of the school was already sitting down. 

But Lisa wasn't. 

Albus was starting to really worry now. It was still storming, of course, but surely she understood that she had to eat sometime. 

He headed back down to the Slytherin common, but found that completely empty, and with a sigh returned to the Great Hall. 

A few Slytherins raised their eyebrows but none said anything to him as he searched their faces, determined that indeed none of them were Lisa and began to move on when he was hit with a sudden realization that almost made him sick with fear. 

Drake wasn't there either. 

_'What if she's run off to tell him what I said the other night? I'll be so dead...' _

But he quickly stopped and scolded himself. _'No. I trust her...'_

He stood still near one of the doors leading out of the Great Hall, and considered where she might have gone. If only he knew the school better. 

"Oi! Albus!" 

Or if he had the help of someone who did. 

Albus looked up and smiled despite everything else this morning, "James! I thought you weren't talking to me." 

James looked at him oddly for a moment. "If I weren't talking to you how could I tell you I told you so?" 

Albus rolled his eyes. "Look, James, I know you and I have a lot to discuss, but there's this Slytherin girl that I'm looking for, only I don't know this place very well yet and..."

James was quite for a second before he gave a 'Why Not?' shrug and answered, "Sure. If you'll walk with me up to the Gryff tower, I give you my guarantee that I can find her in a matter of minutes." 

Albus frowned. He doubted that, but followed James anyway, returning a quick wave from Scorpius as the two left the Great Hall. The Ravenclaw was once again sitting near Lorcan and Lysander, though little conversation seemed to be happening between the three. 

"Hey, James?" 

"Yeah?" The older boy as he lead the way at a fast pace upstairs. 

"What happened between you and the twins?" 

"Things." James snapped quickly. 

"What kind of—"

"_Things_, Al. We're not at home any more. Things happen. You ought to understand by now from what Rose told me of your talk earlier." 

"That wasn't a talk," Albus defended himself, "That was her shouting at me." 

"Well..." James seemed to struggle to say these next few words, "Are you going to change? Dad says you're not, but Victoire says you are, and well, a lot of people seem to think you are, and there were a lot of reporters here..." 

"No, James! Nothing is going to change!" 

They were quiet for a long time before Albus thought up a way to break the silence. 

"So, what do you need from the Gryff tower?" 

"What does it matter?" He asked quickly. 

"Nothing. I was only wondering..." 

"Oh. Nothing... Well, just this thing..." 

Albus glared at him. 

"I need my Herbology books for next hour." He snapped. "If we're going to be running around looking for you girlfriend all lunch I want to have them with me so I know that when the bell rings I won't have to run up the the tower from the dungeons and be late. Suspicious much?"

"Defensive much." Albus muttered. 

"Do you want my help or not!" 

"Yes..." Albus said submissively. 

"Then just trust me!"

There was another minute of silence, then James spoke,

"What's this girl's name?" 

"Lisa... Wascon, I think was the last name. I don't remember. But it started with a W. Why?"

"Because I need to know if we're going to find her." 

"Why?" 

"So... I can... ask people if they've seen her and stuff." 

"Don't you need to know what she looks like too?" 

"Oh... Yeah... That... Sure." 

Albus described her as he followed James up to the seventh floor, then was forced to turn around as James cast a deafening spell on him and gave the password. Five minutes later the second year strutted out with his Herbology book tucked under his arm and removed the spell. 

"Strange girl, isn't she?"

"No!" Albus glared at the older boy.

James shrugged, "If you say so. It just seems only normal to me that she'd be in the Great Hall." 

"_We_ aren't in the Great Hall." Albus pointed out. 

"But that's because we're looking for her. She... Well, that is, I think she's... Just follow me..." 


	16. Forgiveness?

**Author's Note:** **I'm a bitch for taking so long to update this. I swear, I'm trying. Juggling all these different fics isn't easy, but I'm not about to give up on any of them. Fourth quarter is stressful. Things will be better toward the end of May, at the latest, but until then updates may be slower than you're used to. I'm sorry. I'm trying. **

* * *

James led Albus down more staircases than Albus could count, and to an odd painting of fruit. He reached out carefully and a pear.

"James, I really don't think—"

But the passageway opened, revealing a busy kitchen with small tables.

And sure enough, at a table that would be the Slytherin table in the Great Hall, Lisa was scarfing down an apple.

Sitting next to her was Drake. Albus immediately regretted looking for her. He should have just waited to talk to her in class. Then they wouldn't have to worry about—

"What are you two doing in here?" The prefect asked.

Lisa gasped when she looked up and saw Albus. For a moment Albus thought he saw relief, but it quickly changed to anger.

"Lisa," He began, "We need to talk—"

"And it couldn't wait?" Drake cut him off, "Students aren't allowed in here."

James laughed, "And what are you? The Headmaster?"

"No." Drake said sharply, "But I am someone the Headmaster would believe over you."

"It's not like I don't have my own guard dogs."

"_Touché_. May I ask how the bloody hell you know the way in here?"

James shrugged, "You prefects have your ways, and I have mine."

"We prefects are given school-sanctioned directions and maps—"

"Guys!" Albus cut them off, "Please!" He turned to Drake, "James was only helping look for Lisa. _He'll leave now_." James didn't argue, so Albus kept his eyes on the prefect, "And I just needed to talk to Lisa about... our... Herbology homework..."

"Right. You sound really—"

"Oh!" Lisa cut her brother off, speaking for the fist time, "Our Herbology homework! How silly of me to forget."

She stood and ran over to Albus, grabbing him and sitting down at what would have been the Ravenclaw table.

"_Thanks."_ He whispered.

"_This had better be good."_ She hissed back at him, _"I won't cover for you again."_

"_Lisa, I was an idiot, alright—"_ He fished his DADA book out of his bag and cracked it open to an earlier page, hoping Drake wouldn't look too closely at what they were doing.

"_You think?!" _

"_Lisa, just you've got to hear me out—" _

"_I don't have to do anything."_

"_Lisa, please, what I said was stupid but—"_

"_Yes! It was! Especially given who you are!"_

"_I know, but... wait. Who am I?" _

"_Oh, come on. It's no secret that __**your**__ brother isn't exactly a saint."_

"It's news to me." Well, that wasn't entirely true, but what right did she have to judge? Had she ever even **seen** James, outside of just now?

"What is?" Drake asked, looking up from his food.

"That... the roots go down... when you re-pot a plant?" He smiled weakly.

Drake glared.

"... I'm really bad at his whole Herbology thing."

"Good thing the teacher's a family friend of yours then," Drake told him calmly, "Because if you cost Slytherin points I'll give you a little demonstration of how the one-way barrier that separates your dorm from the lake works."

"He-he. Right. I'll work on it." Albus turned away and bit back the urge to ask Lisa if she could **really** blame him...

Lisa rolled her eyes, _"Yeah right. Even I've heard the stories, and I don't believe for a moment that he doesn't brag."_

"_Well he doesn't, and we don't get many letters either." _

"_Of course not. Did you think they were kidding with that guard dog comment?" _Lisa rolled her eyes and stood back up. _"Your family takes care of its own, like Slytherin does. When you can show me that you aren't a complete hypocrite I'll think about forgiving you." _She turned and moved back to her brother.

"Lisa, wait!"

"I think you understand it, Albus." She said sharply, "Now go upstairs and eat."

Albus didn't want to give up so easily, but the look in her eyes left no room for argument. She wasn't going to forgive him.

So he did what any sensible eleven year old would do; he blamed someone else. He scooped his things and ran straight for James.

"What the bloody hell was that about?" He yelled the second the passage was shut and he saw James leaning against the wall.

"Ooh." James teased, "Language. What would mother say?" He shook his head, "What are you so sour about? Did the girl refuse to go out with you or something?"

"I mean it, James! What was all that about? The guard dogs and such?"

"That?" James said with a snort. "That's no big deal."

"It is to the Slytherins."

"What the Slytherins say and what really happened are rarely the same thing, Albus." James said sternly. "The sooner you figure that out, the better your chances of surviving these next seven years."

"But **you** said it too, James!"

"What? Oh, the guard dog thing? Don't tell Victoire I said that; She'll throw a fit."

"So it was true?"

"Not in the way **they**'ll tell you it was true. You **need** to understand that. I will confess that Victoire doesn't see the need to run to teachers over every little crime she finds me committing, but Slytherins **lie**... Or, at least, they exaggerate terribly."

"James..."

"Just go eat, alright? You don't understand..." James sighed, "You're too young. Too new. Maybe if things were different you'd understand already, but right now you need to just go eat lunch. We've only got like ten minutes left."

Albus was confused. And hurt. And angry. Why was the entire world being so disagreeable today? Had Drake, in one last act of cruelty before back off, tattooed "Argue With Me" on his forehead while he was still asleep?

Either way, it was not a fun combination.


	17. Breakfast again

**Author's Note:**** I'm sorry this chapter is so short. I plan on updating again within days, but for now I just needed to get this posted. There is very little real content in this, it's to get some time to pass and to correct a mistake I made in earlier chapters. I thought if I threw in a tiny little cliff-hanger it would make this semi-worth reading. **

**In case I confused the shit out of anyone else, I totally butchered their schedules. At first I decided that it would be simplest to use a Traditional Floating schedule, and that's what they are on in Chapter 5. Then, in chapter 10 I forgot that I made that decision, and decided to attempt the Modified Block schedule that they were on the books. After a small bit of agonizing over it, I decided to go ahead and keep them on a modified, though mine is a bit different than J.K.R.'s, and I managed to pull together a workable schedule. If anyone reading this was educated on traditional schedules and is confused on how this one works, say so in a review and I'll explain it. I tried to keep all of the classes our main characters had together the same (Albus and Scorpius are still in potions together, Albus and Rose are still in DADA together, and so on...) and I even added in a few more. **

* * *

The rest of the week's classes went by with few, if any, changes from the second morning.

The more time he spent with Scorpius, often swapping stories or just ranting about their days, the more he was surprised to learn that they had in common. Scorpius and Albus had visited many of the same countries while traveling with their parents, and Albus had never before met anyone outside of his family who seen almost as many quidditch matches as he had. It hurt Albus' opinion of Scorpius a bit to learn that the blond was a Harrier fan (as most people from Slytherin families seemed to be, poor Albus), but Albus imagined he could get over it. They were both incredibly wealthy by inheritance, which was nice because for once in his life Albus could talk about things that required what normal people would consider a great deal of money (new broom sticks, the two-hundred gallion My First Potions kit he'd created mayhem with when he was younger, winter holidays with his father and siblings in Wellington while his mother followed the world series to Helsinki) and not worry in the slightest about the person he was talking to getting jealous. In fact, Scorpius jokingly teased Albus for being "poor", since Albus' family had less money to start with and Al would only end up inheriting a third of it.

They also had some less happy bits in common; they both knew what it was like when your father chose his job over spending Christmas day opening gifts with his kid(s), though Albus thought this was much more forgivable of his father than of Scorpius'. Albus could relate to Scorpius' shock at suddenly being in such a huge school and not knowing anyone, and of course there were the constant rumors going around about them both.

The one subject that Albus had learned not to speak of was their sorting, and how their families were taking it. While most of Albus' family seemed to have relaxed, he doubted the same could be said for Scorpius. Though sweets continued to arrive from his grandmother every morning, Scorpius would get noticeably solemn faced whenever the conversation turned to his family, and he refused to speak of his grandfather at all. Whenever Albus asked, the blond would brush him off with "Oh, you know, he's very busy. We haven't spoken much since school started..." or, if Albus were to ask a question about their family's business, the answer would be a simple, "Well, he's always off doing something. You can't expect me to keep track of it all. What do you think of the Harpies' chances against the Harriers this year?" or something of that sort. Albus hoped everything was going to turn out alright for him...

And as Albus began spending more and more time with Scorpius, the twins began to slowly materialize next to them. Neither boy minded this, though the the were often quiet and contributed little to their conversations unless they were talking about animals or geography. They were the only boys in Ravenclaw behaving civilly toward Scorpius and they were some of Albus' oldest friends without a blood relation. What other reason did they need to hang out with them?

And slowly, the Slytherins began to accept Albus' place among them. They were far from embracing him at the common room entrance, but it was a start. Lisa had forsaken her place as his Herbology partner and while no other Slytherin boy was stupid enough to **volunteer** to be her replacement, Albus was happy to find that when Professor Longbottom assigned one the boy went quietly to Albus' table and they worked together easily, getting in a small fight only once about the color of a dehydrated mandrake during a partner quiz. In the common room, Albus was ignored, but politely so, and if he ever needed help on homework the older students gave him it, though they usually simply told him the answer, rather than sitting down and making him understand it like they did the other first years.

Rose was still being cold to him. He wasn't sure why until he heard her telling some other Gryffindor girl that he had abandoned her to help complete strangers who did not necessarily want his help. When Albus tried to defend what he'd done, he got screamed at for eaves-dropping. While Albus had always considered it fair game to listen to any conversation where your name was being said, he didn't even try to defend himself there. Rose was clearly still to angry to try to mend the bridges.

And there was still the rain. It was starting to seem like there would **always** be the rain. Hagrid had been forced to call off their planned meeting, as they still weren't allowed to leave the castle, and most of the students, Albus included, were getting terribly restless after not seeing the sun (be it real or fake. The Great Hall would still only show them rain) for days.

Albus was sitting with a group of other first-year Slytherin boys, enjoying his dinner as much as he possibly could given that he was still a total outcast here. He contributed as much as he could to their conversation about banshees, and sometimes he was ignored, sometimes he wasn't. It didn't make him feel much better to know that Scorpius and the twins weren't much better off over at the Ravenclaw table, though at least they had each other...and at least they were allowed to leave. The Slytherins had stayed true to their insistence that they not be accused of causing Harry Potter's son to get some kind of eating disorder. The older students often forced him to stay at the table long after he was finished, just to make sure he wouldn't magically be hungry again ten minutes after he full. Albus supposed it was also a less-than-subtle way for them to really show him that if he was going to be in Slytherin, Slytherin was going to control his life. Albus wondered how long he really had until they would ask him to start spending more time with the boys in his own house, and less time with Ravenclaws.

Albus jumped when Professor Mecca walked by them and absently slammed down a small stack of papers, not stopping to look at any of the boys and moving right on to the group of first year Slytherin girls sitting on the other side of a group of fifth years. Lisa and Drake were absent from this meal as well, as they had been for every meal this week, but Albus thought it likely that Drake already knew about whatever these papers said and had told Lisa anyway, though Albus couldn't help but wonder how much more effort the older boy was going to put into pacifying his sisters fears. As much as Albus hated to think that Drake might be in any way more moral or loving than he, Albus knew he would not have done the same for Lily, and the idea of James taking so much care of their sister unless she was anything short of dying was laughable.

Albus was quickly passed a paper, he didn't notice by who, and he muttered a soft "Thanks" that was ignored and glanced the notice.

_**

* * *

**_

'Attention First Year Students,

_As many of you were aware, last week was merely a chance to get to know your instructors and their rules and methods. In order to better allow this, we modified our schedule to give each instructor extra days with you. Below is the course list for the first years of each house that will be in effect for the rest of the year. **Copies of this notice will not be given out after curfew on Sunday, September 9****th****. At this point you must ****either have it memorized or keep it with you****. **_

_**

* * *

**_

Gryffindor

_**Day A**_

_1. Defense Against the Dark Arts_

_2. Potions_

_Lunch_

_3. History_

_4. Transfiguration_

_**Day B**_

_5. Flying_

_6. Herbology_

_Lunch_

_7. Free Hour_

_8. Charms_

_**

* * *

**_

Hufflepuff

_**Day A**_

_1. Transfiguration_

_2. Potions_

_Lunch _

_3. Herbology_

_4. Defense Against the Dark Arts_

_**Day B**_

_5. Flying_

_6. Charms_

_Lunch_

_7. History_

_8. Free Hour_

_**

* * *

**_

Ravenclaws

_**Day A**_

_1. Transfiguration_

_2. Flying_

_Lunch _

_3. Free Hour_

_4. Defense Against the Dark Arts._

_**Day B**_

_5. History_

_6. Herbology_

_Lunch _

_7. Potions_

_8. Charms_

_**

* * *

**_

Slytherins

_**Day A **_

_1. Defense Against the Dark Arts_

_2. Flying_

_Lunch_

_3. Herbology_

_4. Transfiguration_

_**Day B**_

_5. Free Hour_

_6. Charms_

_Lunch_

_7. Potions_

_8. History_

* * *

Well, Albus happy at least to notice that he hadn't lost his hours with Scorpius. Speaking of which, he wondered if he would be allowed to leave now. He looked at the fifth year next to him hopefully.

The boy glanced at his cleaned plate and shrugged. That was all Albus needed. He jumped up, not bothering to excuse himself to his Slytherin 'friends'. He didn't care about their stupid conversation about this being the first time they've had a Hufflepuff headmaster since 1843 any more than they cared about the Ravenclaw class schedule, so no words were needed. He headed directly over to the Ravenclaw table.

"Did you see the new schedule, Scor..." Albus let trailed off in mid-word. Scorpius had a copy of the notice on the table beside his food, but in his hands he held another parchment entirely. He didn't look good. With ivory skin and nearly silver hair, Scorpius wasn't exactly a rainbow on normal days, but Albus had seen ghosts with more color than Scorpius had now. The hands that clutched the parchment he clung to were shaking.

"Scorpius," Lysander finally began.

But he never got the chance to say what he'd planned to. The youngest blond flung himself away from the Ravenclaw table, and dashed out of the Great Hall, parchment still in hand.


	18. Family, Houses, and Schools

Scorpius' heart thundered in his ears. His fingers wound tight into the material covering his legs. With every passing second, tears of confusion threatened to fall.

He kicked the parchment off of his bed. Part of him still wanted this... but not as a punishment! If his grandfather wouldn't learn to trust him now, when was he going to? If Scorpius allowed this to happen, there was a good chance he'd end up doing his grandfather's bidding until the older Malfoy died... No, actually, now that Scorpius thought about it, it would be just like his grandfather to include very specific instructions in his will that Scorpius was to spend the rest of his life following or be haunted.

But he kept his composure. A choice needed to be made, and getting emotional and wasting all of his time weeping wouldn't make it go away. Anyway, if his grandfather showed up and found him in tears, he'd loose all say he had in the matter on the spot.

Scorpius wondered distantly how much time he had. He reached over and skimmed the last line of the letter:

_'I'll be visiting later tonight so that we may discuss this.'_

Later tonight? Well, that told him a lot. Scorpius didn't even know what time this letter had been sent.

The blond nearly flew out of his skin when a sudden pounding crashed through the room.

Well, he was not ready to face his grandfather right now. He kept his mouth shut and tried to slow his breathing until it was silent. None of the other first year boys had been in here, and nor had the prefects. Since no one else was allowed in the dorm, the only people in the school who would have any idea where he was were Lorcan, Lysander, and Albus, and Scorpius was fairly certain they wouldn't go blabbing his wear abouts to strangers. If it was his grandfather, he was here on a lucky guess, and would leave if he got no answer.

"Scorp, we know you're in there."

This made the blond look up. The twins weren't big fans of the nick-name Albus had given him.

"Come on!" Lysander half-cried, "Come out already! Whatever it is, we can all work it out."

"Albus is outside worried sick about you," Lorcan added in.

Scorpius sighed. He pushed the letter under his pillow, stood up, and opened the door.

The twins glared.

"What was that?" Lorcan asked immediately. The moment Scorpius had stepped far enough out of his dormitory for them to be safe from the protective spells around it, they locked arms with him, forcing him to follow them into the common room—where they got many odd stares from their younger peers and a few questions for the older ones that Scorpius didn't want to think about when they said, let alone later—and out into the hallway where Albus was pacing like a trapped lion.

"There you are!" Albus nearly tackled him as he rushed over to the trio. "Scorp, what happened? You were fine this morning, and then at dinner you just freaked out..."

For a long moment, the blond just looked at the other boy with vacant eyes. He didn't know how he could tell Albus... He didn't even know yet if he wouldn't agree with his grandfather when the time came.

Albus just smiled weakly, realizing he wasn't getting an answer just yet, and changed the subject, "I grabbed you a schedule." He held out the paper for him.

Scorpius smiled slightly, "Thanks." He took it carefully.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, that was sweet." The four reeled around to find and older man, with long hair so light a blond that Albus couldn't tell whether or not there were grays mixed in. He towered above all of the children, and balanced himself using a cane in his left hand, "It's really too bad he won't be needing it."

The smile melted off of Scorpius' face.

"Don't I get a say in this?" The youngest blond asked.

Albus noticed the change over his friend immediately, and even Lorcan and Lysander, who were about as empathic as a pair of angry dragons, noticed soon after. Scorpius' posture relaxed, and his voice was now soft and submissive. His eyes were downcast, as though he'd done something terrible and he knew it, and he quickly tucked his wand into his pocket. It was clear Scorpius would do anything this old man told him to, and that knowledge sent a tingle of fear that he couldn't entirely explain down Albus' spine.

The old man looked carefully at the group, silently debating something. Albus didn't like the way the old gray eyes, which he was almost afraid to look directly into, swooped over him not once, but twice, before finally settling just above Albus' own eyes, on his forehead.

But Albus had little time to wonder why on Earth he was looking there, because the old man quickly turned back to Scorpius to answer his question. "You did until about five seconds ago."

Scorpius' jaw dropped, "What's changed?" He knew very well, of course, but he was acting on the hope that if his grandfather was too ashamed to admit it, he'd take it back.

The old man shrugged. It was a careful action—it needed to be, as it meant taking some of the the weight off his cane. While he hadn't needed the cane in his younger days, he certainly needed now. "I've just suddenly realized how much you surly miss your old friends."

Scorpius glared, "I've made other friends."

"You've far more at Durmstrang, if what my wife says is true."

Scorpius opened his mouth to deliver the answer he'd been preparing, then stopped when he understood what his grandfather had said, and the shock set in. "She didn't..."

The older man laughed and stroked Scorpius' hair affectionately, "Not intentionally. Your grandmother loves you dearly, Scorpius, but she's a vain woman. She loves to hear herself talk. You'd be amazed by some of the things she says to me when she thinks I'm not listening." He turned and looked carefully at Albus once again, but continued speaking to Scorpius, "Imagine my surprise when I learned that not only had you continued contact with her while you ignored your parents and I, but that a certain should-have-been-Gryffindor was making an unsettling number of appearances in your letters."

Scorpius was silent, so Albus spoke instead, "No should-have-been-Gryffindors here, sir." He swallowed hard, "Lucius Malfoy, I take it?"

The man smirked, "Indeed."

"Don't you trust me?" Scorpius finally managed to ask, "I like him."

Lucius shook his head sadly, "It isn't you that I don't trust, Scorpius. It's your tastes."

"So what? If I'm not in Slytherin I can't hang out with them?"

Lucius laughed. He hadn't taken his eyes off of Albus, "Scorpius," He reached forward and gently but firmly tightened Albus' green and silver tie, which had been so loose it was just barely within the dress-code, straitened it, and tucked it back in, giving it the straight and professional look that Scorpius' had. Of course, there was a hidden agenda to actions. Every eye in the hallway was now on the Slytherin colors around the young Potters neck. "A lion in a serpents clothing can still claw your throat out the moment he sheds his disguise. Hang out with Slytherins as much as you like." He tossed a judgmental glance at the twins, "I'll even tolerate Ravenclaws, if it keeps your grades up." He glared at Albus, "But stay away from Gryffindors."

"I'm not a Gryffindor," Albus insisted.

Lucius just rolled his eyes. "Get your things, Scorpius. I do find myself rather nostalgic for your old friends."

Scorpius looked defeated. He turned and headed for the common room once again, only to be grabbed tightly by both twins.

Lucius glared, and Scorpius looked at each of them in shock, but they didn't let go. Nor did they say anything, or give anything away with their expressions. They simply clung to Scorpius' uniform for dear life.

"What are you doing?" Scorpius asked after a long time.

"You're a Ravenclaw," Lorcan said simply.

Lucius sneered, "Superficially, perhaps. Take away the uniform and put him a testing situation and I think you'll find he's no more a Ravenclaw than Mr. Potter is a Slytherin, or than your mother is a Death Eater."

And in that last analogy, Scorpius' own Malfoy pedigree picked up something that most other ears would have missed.

He pulled away from Lorcan and Lysander, and turned to face the head of his family, "Grandfather, that won't happen. Let me stay and I'll prove it, in any way you'd like."

And Lucius Malfoy gave a smile that reminded Scorpius of the number one rule of being a Malfoy child; never **ever** underestimate the men who taught you everything you know.

It was really too bad that Lucius had reminded him of it about five seconds too late.

"I was hoping you'd say that." He waved a dismissive hand at the other three boys, "Run along, children. Scorpius and I need to have a talk."


	19. Family Decisions

**Author's Note:**** The Good News: This is now my most reviewed fic! (143, May 18, 2008) And I love each and every one of you who helped make that possible. **

**The Bad News: In this part, you learn... nothing. Well, a few of you might be able to guess some things, but consider this a guilt update. The end is important, and the beginning one was just a two-page long way to amuse myself. **

* * *

"Dear, you look..." Narcissa cleared her throat nervously.

"You seem unusually..." Draco fumbled for the words as he stared at his father.

"You look happy," Astoria finally said.

Draco glared. Their families had known each other for thirty-three years, and the two had been married for a good fifteen. By now, she really should know that Lucius' happiness seldom meant good things for everyone else.

They were all gathered around the table, sipping tea. Lucius had returned just five minutes ago from a location he had yet to name, and immediately demanded a family meeting in the dining room.

"I am." The oldest wizard smirked. "Draco, you remember your thirteenth birthday, don't you?"

Draco blinked. "Er... I'm thirty-six... It was kind of a long time ago..."

"And I'm sixty-three," Lucius snapped, "_I_ remember your thirteenth birthday like it was yesterday. Come now, Draco. It was an important one."

Draco leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment.

"I remember that you wouldn't buy me a Firebolt, and that I never beat Potter at quidditch again."

His father sneered, "Correction, Draco; You never beat Potter at quidditch. Ever. My refusal to let you fail on a broom twice as expensive as the model I had already purchased for your entire team had nothing to do with it."

Draco nodded, though he looked as though he were being forced to swallow something totally fowl.

"Now," Lucius went on, "Work with me, Draco."

Draco moaned on the inside. The last time he'd obeyed that command, he'd been named his father's personal assistant—which was really just an excuse to get even more money from the company vault into the family vault—and had spent the eighteen years since memorizing every aspect of the business world so that his father could have some small hope that he wouldn't drive the Malfoy enterprises into the ground after Lucius' inevitable death.

"What did we do after your thirteenth birthday party?"

Narcissa choked on her tea, "_Lucius_—"

"Hush, darling." Lucius held up a finger. "Draco, you know this. Astoria, you were there too, I believe."

"I'll give you a hint," Narcissa hissed, "You've probably spent the last twenty-three years trying to block it out."

Lucius rolled his eyes, "It's not so bad, darling. I remember mine with nothing but pride and nostalgia. You surely didn't feel that yours was _so_ horrific?"

"It wasn't at all horrific for me, but I was fourteen. Lucius, for one so young—"

"_Wait_," Draco cut his mother off, "_Constrictum obscurum_?! At eleven years old?!"

Astoria gagged as well at this, "Father," She began as soon as she could breathe. She'd addressed Lucius as such since the night Draco proposed, "Don't you think that's just a tad young? I didn't have mine until I was nearly sixteen."

"I believe he will be fine," The oldest blond said dully, "It's a... taxing... ceremony, certainly but—"

"Draco couldn't leave his bed for four days!" Narcissa cried, "That's not taxing, that's boarder-line abuse!"

"But," Lucius defended, "When you left, you felt better than you had ever before in your life, didn't you, Draco?"

Draco took another sip of his tea and attempted not to flinch back beneath the gaze of his two favorite women. "Er..." His eyes met Lucius', and there was really only one thing he could say. "Yes, father. It's worth it."

"See?" Lucius took Narcissa's hand, "They preform the ceremony as part of Durmstrange's initiation. All of Scorpius' old classmates have already been through it. I've never heard of a single one of them dying from it."

"Have you also considered that Durmstrange's initiation process takes two weeks? That's one night for the ritual, one night to get everyone sorted, one night to print schedules, and one night of general initiation. What do you suppose the kids spend the other ten days doing?"

"Recovering," Lucius granted, "But they do survive. Regardless of how you all feel, Scorpius has already agreed to do this. We just need to wait until the winter holiday so that he may take all of the time he needs to rest afterwards."

"Father," Draco gasped, "You spoke to him about this without asking me first?!"

"I thought it was for the best, given the circumstances. I didn't want you putting up too much of a fight."

"So you didn't ask what we thought at all?!" Narcissa jumped to her feet.

"I'm the head of this family," He said darkly, staring her down, "It is my job to make important family decisions. I've decided it is best for our heir if he participates in the ceremony just a little earlier than what is English custom, and that is what is going to happen."

_

* * *

_

_What's done is done,_ Scorpius told himself as he set out to find Albus and the twins. They probably weren't back in their common rooms yet, because they still had four hours until curfew, so Scorpius set off for the Great Hall.

_I have three months to get myself used to the idea anyway._

He wouldn't really have minded, under other circumstances. It was something every member of his family, and every member of all other important Dark families had gone through. It was something all of his old classmates went through weeks ago.

The problem was that it wasn't really his choice. He would have had to do it either way, and Scorpius just wasn't sure he was ready for it. While it didn't seem to be a big factor in the lives of Scorpius' family members and former teachers, they had all been so certain to stress that it was a permanent bond, and certainly not one to take lightly.

"Oi! Scorpius! Over here!"

The blond smiled as Albus waved him into the Great Hall, where a large crowd of all houses had gathered at the Hufflepuff table. No one in the group looked like they were above their fourth year, and it was far from all of the younger classmen, but it was a large group no less.

"What's going on?" Scorpius asked, ignoring the glares he and Ablus got from the other first years and a few of the second years.

"We thought we'd kick off the weekend with Hide-And-Go-Seek," A third year Hufflepuff announced, "We played all the time during the winter last year, since it was too cold to go out, and we figured now that it was raining it might be fun again."

"You should play with me!" Albus told him, "The twins went back to your common room, and I don't want to alone."

"You could always play with your brother," Rose sent a jeering smile at James, who didn't seem to want to be in their group, but was being physically restrained by a pair of fourth years.

"He is not my brother," James snapped, attempting to pull in the opposite direction of Albus, "Lying little brats..."

"We play it by house." One of the Gryffindor boys who was struggling to hold onto James said, ignoring the obvious lies of the elder Potter boy, "Everyone in one house seeks while everyone in the others hides."

From the looks of things, this gave the Hufflepuffs a pretty unfair advantage, since the game had started with their house and then expanded the lingerers of the other houses, but Scorpius just shrugged and stood next to Albus. It wasn't like they had anything else to do.


	20. Work and Play

**Author's Note: Well, you end up getting so little information in this part that I'd considered cutting out the bit with Harry to give you more information on Fred, but I** **decided that I liked it too much, so it stays, and I'll just have to update this soon(ish. Well, sooner than I did last time...) for you all... **

**P.S.: You've lost your place as most-reviewed fic. I'm sad now...**

* * *

"THE GRYFFS ARE COMMING!" The first year Hufflepuff girl screamed as she dashed up the steps and down the hallway, "THE GRYFFINDORS ARE COMMING!"

And, of course, every member of the other three houses who hadn't found a hiding spot dashed for the nearest one.

"What?!" Albus echoed, pulling on Scorpius' arm as though he too thought the world would end if the game did, "I thought we had more time than that!"

"Apparently not." Scorpius muttered as they dashed into another hallway.

Albus moaned as footsteps echoed behind them, "I'd bet you anything that James' lot cheated and didn't count as long as they should have!"

"Yeah, whatever..." Scorpius looked around quickly. They'd cornered themselves. The hallway they had gone down lead to a dead-end of locked classrooms, and one double-wide glass doorway that lead to a rain covered balcony. "Quick! This way!" He grabbed the Slytherin's arm and pulled him to one of the glass doors.

"But Scorp, we aren't allowed outside!"

The blond had already undone the latch.

"Headmaster Luther said that we weren't allowed on the _grounds_, I'm sure of it. If we just go out onto the balcony, we won't be on the grounds, but the Gryffs won't think to look for us in the rain." He pushed the door open, "Now hurry! I can hear them coming!"

The pair scrambled out into the rain and ran as far away from the door as they could possibly get before leaning back against the stone to catch their breath.

"And you think we'll win out here?" Albus asked, huddling close to the other boy for warmth.

Scorpius nodded, "Unless the Gryffs have a psychic on their team. There's nowhere else to hide in that hallway."

Al nodded, "Yeah, and they'll probably never think that a Slytherin and a Malfoy would go outside in this weather."

Scorpius hummed in agreement, "So we're safe. We just need to wait it out..."

"Great," A voice to their right agreed, "So who are we safe from?"

* * *

"_**DADDY!"**_ The nine-year-old squealed as Harry pinned her down and began to tickle her, _"DADDY! STOP!"_ But Harry could hardly take the pleas seriously when they were so broken up by laughter. "HUGO, HELP!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Ron had a death-grip on her cousin the moment the words were out of her mouth. Though Harry wasn't watching, he could hear his nephew breaking out in forced laughter as well five seconds later.

The pair began to beg for their mothers' assistance, but the women in the yard were equally consumed by laughter, though theirs was genuine.

Harry wished he could have more days like this. Ginny had been back for a while, though she and the kids were do to run off again any day now when the Prophet got back to her about what match she was to cover next, Godric's Hollow was cold, but they'd been spared the rain that was said to be terrorizing Hogwarts, and he and Ron had decided to enjoy the day with their families, pending (please don't jinx it, please don't jinx it...) that no dark wizards got any bright ideas that the Aurors would have to clean up.

After a minute or so he decided he had tortured her enough and paused to let his daughter catch her breath. He couldn't help but grin as he stared down at her, panting and mock-glaring at him while she tried to pick the dead leaves out of her hair. Unlike James, who you could identify as a Weasley from a mile away, or Albus, who looked like a younger Harry but with better eyesight, Lily had gotten just the right blend of genes to not look anything like either of her parents. Looking down at her was rather like mixing yellow and blue paint for the first time and discovering that the result was a different color all together. She had her mother's family's bright blue eyes, but Harry's straight black hair, which thankfully was more manageable since she kept it long. She had the same short and slender form that Harry had when he was her age (ah, his pre-Auror training days...) but her mother's tan skin and freakled... everything. She was her mother's temper combined with her father's hero complex, and despite constantly worrying about her, Harry couldn't have been prouder of her.

"Hey, dad!" Lily ripped his from his thoughts and crawled away from him.

"Yes, dear?"

She quickly moved to the middle of Harry's back yard and stood with Hugo, both looking protective as though both truly believed they could take on the other's father.

"Let's go see a movie!"

Hugo's eyes lit up as well. "Yeah!"

"In the muggle world?" Hermione said carefully, sharing a look with Ginny.

"Yeah!" Hugo repeated, nodding like a bobble-head, making his messy brown hair bounce all over his face, "The muggle world isn't _that_ far away, is it?"

Harry and Hermione looked at each other and smiled.

"Darling," Hermione said patiently, "The muggle world is—"

"No, it's not that far. Let's go." Ron cut her off, already digging in his pockets for his car keys. Ron got this weird kick out of driving, Harry couldn't figure out why. It must be more interesting when you haven't already spent half of your life using cars to get everywhere.

Hermione looked over at Harry, "Well, I guess my family's cast it's vote..."

Harry shrugged, "What were you two wanting to see?"

The kids looked at each other. Of course they didn't know what they wanted to see. It's not like they got previews in the wizarding world.

"_The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe_ was just remade for the thirty-eighth time..." Hermione offered quietly.

Harry frowned, "Are you sure about the whole 'witch' thing though?"

Ron and Ginny just stared and looked clueless.

"Well, they're nine." Hermione said after a moment, "We can't keep sheltering them forever... I think if we explain that in the muggle world—"

"Whooo-Hoo! FIRE CALL IN HERE!" Shouts echoed from inside the house.

Harry sighed. Even the children understood what was coming and frowned.

"I'll be back, alright?" Harry forced himself to smile at his youngest child before he turned and went in through the back door.

"Hey, Johnson," Harry nodded to the Auror in the fireplace and prepared for the worst.

"Potter," The man nodded back, "Was that Weasley's wife I heard back there?"

Harry nodded.

"Weasley's here?"

"Yes."

"Call him in for this..."

* * *

Albus flinched. They were caught...

"Gryffindors..." Albus said as he turned slowly.

His uncle frowned, "Hmf. Well, that's not very nice." He turned transparent and began to slip through the stone below them.

"Well, you can stay!" He reached out for the man, though his fingers only slipped through the ghost.

"Really?!" Fred popped back up next to them happily.

"We're only playing Hide-And-Go-Seek," Scorpius explained, looking slightly perplexed by the whole situation, "No need to take it personally."

"Yeah!" Albus agreed, "We're only playing, and I wanted to talk to you anyway..."

"Really?" The poltergeist asked, "About what?"

"Well..." Albus tried to think of all of his questions, "Why are you here? Why haven't I heard about you before? Don't James and Victoire and everyone else know about you? Why'd you stay? Does Uncle George know about you? Does dad know about you? And how'd you die? What'd you do? Was it in a fight to the death against some evil Death Eater and—"

"Slow down," The dead boy ordered, "Okay, so let's start from the beginning..."


	21. A tale for a rainy day

**Author's Note: You are back as the most-reviewed. Thank you. **

* * *

Draco Malfoy had not had a good evening. While he'd given up on his argument with his father fairly quickly, he still wasn't sure he wanted his son going through with the ceremony when he was still so young, and Draco was not looking forward to three months of worrying about it. Why would Scorpius even agree to something like that? Surely the elder Malfoy threatened him with something...

And so, when he heard the insistent ring of the doorbell, he contemplated not answering it. He wasn't expecting anyone, and while the Wiltshire manor had wards around it to keep out anyone with the intention of selling them something, Draco didn't quite feel like dealing with anyone unexpected right now, not even friends.

Of course, whoever was at the door was well known to the Malfoy family. The wards weren't just limited to door-to-door salesmen. They kept out anyone who didn't either have permission to be there or had known at least one of the Malfoys for many years.

When the doorbell rang a second time, Draco played with breaching one of the most sacred pure-blood etiquette rules and sending one of the family's two elves to answer it, but quickly dismissed the thought when his mother yelled down at him from the second floor. She expected him to be a gentlemen and get it his bloody self.

Well, Draco thought as he heard the third ring, at least whoever it was knew better than to try coming in through the fire-place. To know what the wards did to people who tried that without permission, one would have to be a close Malfoy friend... or from the government... But no, the Malfoys had managed to avoid contact with the government since before Scorpius' birth. There's no reason they should be turning back up now.

He opened the door and was greatly disappointed.

It was Potter, standing sadly on his front deck with Weasley close behind him. Both men had wrapped themselves in warm traveling cloaks that had certainly seen better days and were now showing him Auror badges that he could barely make out with the sun setting immediately in front of him.

For several minutes Draco just stared at the pair blankly, and they gazed back with equal apathy.

When Draco finally found his voice, he could only say one thing; "You're joking."

Potter shook his head slowly, "Nope. Can we come in?"

Draco sighed and stepped out of their way, "Only because I'm not legally allowed to slam the door in your faces."

Weasley smirked, "Lucky us."

"Indeed," Draco muttered, "So, which of us are you hauling off to Azkaban today?"

"No one, hopefully," Harry told him, handing his cloak off to one of the elves. "We just need to talk to you and your father."

"I'm right here," Lucius informed them as he strutted into the room from the dining hall. He smirked when he saw the pair, "Why, if it isn't Mr. Potter and Author Weasley's twenty-seventh child!"

"Cute," Ron said distastefully, "And you're only off by twenty-one. Are you finally learning to count in increments of less than a thousand?"

"Take a seat," Lucius said, ignoring him and gesturing toward the arm-chairs in the sitting room. "My family has nothing to hide. We'll be glad to assist you in any way we can."

"Thank you." Harry nodded. The Aurors accepted the offered chairs, "We have good news and bad news..."

* * *

The poltergeist adjusted the way he was sitting to get more comfortable—or perhaps it was just on instinct. Could the dead be uncomfortable?—and took a deep breath before beginning.

"I assume they told you the basics?"

Albus nodded, "You were killed in the last battle of the war. No one said how though."

Fred sighed, "wasfighten'nastupdwallfellnme."

"What?" The boys looked at him eagerly.

"I was fighting, there was an explosion, and I was just dead. I'm told I was crushed by a wall."

"You're kidding?" The blond boy turned on him, "You were in the middle of a war, and you got killed by a _wall_?!"

"Scorpius," Albus hissed, "Be nice."

"I'm being—"

Fred waved Al's chastisement off, "I agree with him, actually. It's really lame... In my defense though, people have died far lamer deaths."

Albus decided it was time to move on, "But why did you stay here instead of moving on like everyone else! Were you afraid?"

Fred thought about this for a long time (well, by the standards of eleven year olds) before answering.

"_If_ I was afraid of something, it was obedience."

"Huh?" The boys looked up strangely.

"Well, I was in this weird cross-roads place, right? And I had to decide if I was going to move on to afterlife or not... Well, it sort of got me thinking about my life, because that's what they do, right? You get there...er... where-ever 'there' is... and they go over your life to decide if you were a good guy or not, and I just kind of wanted some idea of what they were going to say. Well, going over my life made me realize that my twin and I basically devoted our lives to creating absolute chaos for everyone we came into contact with. I mean, whether we were coloring on the walls when we were younger just to annoy our mum or using Voldemort's name as a pun for things that constipate people, we've always kind of gotten this rise out of breaking the rules... But, what's in Heaven?"

The look on Scorpius' face made it rather obvious that he had only the vaguest of ideas what they were talking about, so Albus answered the question, "Eternal peace, right?"

"Right! But really, what is eternal peace in the after-life to a man who's devoted his entire life to creating just the opposite? In order to have peace you need rules, and I don't do well with rules. I mean, Mecca made this rule that I'm not allowed in her classroom, and I break it. Headmaster Luther made this rule that all areas that are out of bounds to students are out of bounds to me too, because I can't be caught in the act if there aren't any teachers around, and I break that rule. Mum had a rule that George and I were supposed to finish school before we started our business, and we broke it. The Dark Lord made it a rule that we weren't allowed to help your dad defeat him, and we broke it. Can you really see me in Heaven with my current personality, never breaking a rule ever again? Spending all eternity in Heaven just seemed so entirely boring."

"Er... no... But what if in the afterlife they made a way for you to break rules?"

"What would be the good of that? If they are helping break their rules and cause trouble then I'm not really causing any trouble, now am I? The entire heart and soul of the act is lost."

"Maybe you wouldn't have any desire to cause trouble in Heaven?"

"But then who would I be?"

Albus frowned. "Someone else entirely."

"Exactly! So, since Hell was obvious totally out of the question, where did that leave me but to come back? And really, why not? If I was going to spend the rest of eternity somewhere, it may as well have been someplace where I knew I could get on people's nerves all I liked."

"I guess that makes sense..." Albus said slowly.

Scorpius shrugged, "It makes perfect sense to me."

"So, what about the family? Do they know you're still... Do they know you're here?"

"Of course," Fred said dully, "I write George or mum every now and then. Strictly banned 'em from telling you kids I'm here, though."

"Why?"

Fred smirked, "Just to see the look on your faces when you see a Weasley ghost float by. It's priceless, really. I actually went into the Gryffindor Common Room on your brother's first night and before Victoire came in I almost had him convinced that I was really _his_ ghost back from the future." He sighed, "It's so great when you kids actually look like Weasleys...No offense... They just don't make us like they used to."

Al laughed, but Scorpius, who felt more than a little left out of all the Weasley family fun, decided to push the conversation in a different direction.

"So, you like being a poltergeist?"

"Are you kidding?" Fred grinned, "It's actually really great." He stood up, still solid, and the boys followed him to his feet, sensing that something was about to happen, "I mean, how else could I do this?" He ran to edge and dove off the balcony like it was nothing.

Albus let out a frightened gasp despite himself. Regardless of how pale they are, it's hard to get used to seeing someone dive off of a five-story balcony.

The boys dashed to the edge and grabbed onto the railing, eager to see what the dead man was about to do.

But, when Fred popped back up through the floor, the first years' eyes weren't on him at all.

The poltergeist followed their eyes across the grounds. The boy's faces were focused in the direction of the lake, gaping at...

"Bloody Hell..." Fred whispered, walking clear off the balcony to get a better view and hovering there, not in his solid form, like something from an old muggle cartoon. The sight wasn't nearly as eerie or interesting to the boys as what was going on below them.

His transparent skin was hard to keep sight of in the rain, but Albus found him no less, hoping he would be close enough to answer Albus' question.

"Uncle Fred...?" He called uneasily.

"Yes?" The dead man replied distantly.

"What _is_ that thing?"


	22. That was comforting

**Author's Note:**** Bleh. Something has been... off, lately. I don't know if it's going to stay "off" for the remaining time until I have to leave in mid July, or if it's going to correct itself, or if I can beat it back as it should be just by sheer will-power, but things are certainly going a bit strangely lately. I've been busy, my obsessions are shifting (this happens about once a year, and makes it difficult for me to write Harry Potter for a few weeks. It never lasts, so have no fears) and I'm not sleeping very well. What that will do to these fics for the next month (come mid-August all will be as it should be. I can promise you that at least, and in the mean time I do try), I do not know, so bear with me. I'm not happy with this, and will likely re-write it later, but I'm once again at that stage where I fear that if I don't update now it won't happen at all. **

* * *

"Hailey Applewhite." The second year Gryffindor said dully, pointing to his left and not looking up from the beaten copy of Quidditch Through the Ages that had once belonged to his father.

"What?! No way!" The fourth year Hufflepuff jumped out from behind the statue and moved toward the Great Hall to join the other players that James had expertly found.

Taking special care to keep far enough away from everyone for it to remain hidden among the pages of his open book, James watched his name float across the Marauders Map.

"Justin Flint," He nodded to his right and watched as a Slytherin in his own year tumbled to the stone floor.

The trick was to miss some of them, he thought as he passed three more names clustered together. Let his house-mates catch them, and no one got accused of cheating, save a few whispers among the lower grades that James was psychic.

His eyes wondered north on the map.

"Fuck." He whispered. The map didn't lie. His brother was unmistakably outside, frolicking in the rain with Scorpius bloody Malfoy, of all people... and, of course, he had to go get them, because if anyone else did it was detention for sure.

"Oi!" He turned to face his housemates, "I'll go on alone. You guys either search over this area again or double back."

The other Gryffindors looked hesitant, but nodded at long last. James sighed and marched down the stone corridor toward the balcony.

* * *

"Hell if I know," The poltergeist said after a long moment.

The object in question was a bright and glittering gold, and as hard as he tried Scorpius couldn't make out the shape. First it looked circular, then he thought it was pyramid shaped, now square, and every time it turned or moved and Scorpius saw it from a different angle his mind changed. Purple flames were dancing around it, unaffected by the rain.

A group of adults—no one they could recognize as teachers from up there, but adults, certainly—were running around it frantically, all attempting to levitate it at once and move it in the direction of the Forbidden Forest, and doing a very clumsy job of it. They could keep it up for no more than ten seconds before it would tumble back to the ground because of them moved their wand the wrong way or twitched at an inconvenient time. Every one of the adults was covered from head to toe in gray—they even had their wands in cases so that they were unrecognizable.

There was a grunt from behind them, and they turned to find James pushing the door open.

"Al, what the bloody hell are you doing out here?" He demanded, advancing on the pair. "If a teacher walks by we'll all lose house points!"

The only response that James got was the sound of the falling rain.

"Al!" He demanded, frustrated.

His darker haired brother waved him closer to the edge of the balcony without a word.

"What?" He demanded.

"It's..." Albus started, but didn't seem to know how to finish.

"Just _look,_" Scorpius told him.

James was tired of wasting time on the argument, and just wanted to get back inside and into dry clothes before someone found him, so he obeyed, hoping to get the other two boys away from the scene.

* * *

Lucius shook his head slowly.

Ron sighed, "You can't help us, can you?"

"Mr. Weasley," Lucius said carefully, "I would like to help you. I really would."

"Yeah, right." Ron stood and glared at the pair.

The darker man reached out and grabbed his brother in law. "Let him finish." He ordered.

Ron rolled his eyes and sat down. He muttered what sounded like "It's bloody Malfoy. What did you expect...?" but Harry ignored it.

"Please," Harry nodded at the elder Malfoy.

"As I was saying," Lucius and Ron stared each other down, "I would love to help you, especially since my family has quite a bit to lose if what you're telling me is true."

"It is true," Harry assured them.

The two Malfoy's looked at each other.

"Well..." Draco said slowly, "That's just the thing. It can't possibly be. No one could do that."

"And even if someone had gotten through the protective magic and taken it," Lucius went on, "What good would it do? Our family only kept the stone for its historical value."

Draco nodded, "It's dead useless without the other half, and they say that the other half doesn't even exist anymore. Come on, I know Granger was always the smart one with you three, but that's second year History. Even you two should know it."

Harry had to grab Ron once again to stop him from mouthing back off. They needed the Malfoy's on their side.

"Alright," Harry granted, "So it's useless. That doesn't change that it's gone. I don't know why, you don't know why, and let's not waste time second guessing it's other half, but it is gone. Let's suppose that someone stole it for the same reason you kept it, and just wanted to exploit it's historical value by selling it on the black market. How would you go about getting it?"

"That would be the other reason why this is impossible," Draco said dully, "You _can't_ get it. Not even father and I can."

"When my great grandfather allowed the museum to put it on display, he put magical shields around the case that didn't allow anyone but him through. Not even his descendants."

Draco shook his head sadly, "Rather short-sighted, great great grandfather. Anyway, there has to be something else going on here."

"Like what?" Ron demanded. "Why would we come all this way just to—"

The hoot of an owl cut Ron's rant short. An instant later, a dark gray owl swooped into the room and landed on Draco's arm. The younger blond dully untied the letters.

"Draco," Harry interrupted him, "Can't it wait?"

"They're from the school."

"Oh?" The three other men said at once, moving closer to Draco.

Scorpius' father nodded and separated the two envelopes. His gray eyes roamed over both quickly, before he held one out. "This one's for you, Potter."

"Really?" Harry took the letter from him, and sure enough it was his name on the front. Sometimes it was rather frightening how closely they monitor your location in the wizarding world.

"Something school-wide then?" Ron asked, looking between his former class-mates.

"There was nothing for you." Draco said, tearing his open.

Harry was a little slower about opening his, his mind reeling with all of the things that could have gone wrong with Albus. But no, he mustn't think such things...

"Fuck." Draco spat before jumping to his feet.

_That_ was comforting.


	23. Fighting Fathers

"This is absolutely inexcusable!" The blond yelled. "What were you thinking? The inside of this castle is five times the size of our manor, Scorpius! How could that possibly not be big enough for you?!"

"Father, I—" The younger blond began.

"First your sorting, then you glue yourself to a Potter, then this business with your grandfather, and now I'm getting letters from your headmaster..." Draco paused here for the first time in ten minutes to take a breath, "You've gotten in more trouble in a week at Hogwarts than you did in two years at MLPA! Are you even taking this seriously? Are you **trying** to give your mother and I heart attacks?"

"Yes!... Wait! No!... er... Yes and no?" Scorpius tried, his face turning scarlet.

"Is this funny to you?"

"No, father! You asked—"

"Just for the record, Draco," Harry could no longer resist cutting in, "This is funny as Hell from _my_ end."

"_Shove it_, Potter."

"_Aw_, come on, Draco. After all these years all I get is a 'shove it'? I'm disappointed."

Draco was quiet.

"Well, at least you've out-grown insulting the dead."

Albus wasn't quite sure what was going on. Albus had seen his parents' reactions last year when the headmaster sent letters home about James—they were furious. Albus had expected his father to scream and swear and interrogate him... Well, Albus had expected exactly what Scorpius had just gotten, minus the swearing. It was all so odd. The Malfoys were supposed to be calm, cool, collected, and the Potters were supposed to be quick tempered and passionate, yet here was Draco Malfoy yelling at Scorpius until he was blue while Harry Potter sat in between his sons on the headmasters sofa as calmly as if it were a Sunday morning on the swing on their back porch.

Draco was the only man in the room standing, and he passed across the room like a caged tiger, pausing only occasionally to glare down at Scorpius, who was sitting uncomfortably in a chair near the windows. Headmaster Luther was at his desk, hands folded across a pile of paper-work, watching the entire exchange quietly.

None of the boys had said anything about what they'd seen earlier to their fathers. They'd tried to frantically explain things to the headmaster when he caught them, but he had only written the story off as children's imaginations running wild. When their fathers had arrived, the three had been hushed until the headmaster was finished explaining things, and then Draco had immediately begun screaming.

The scene was made even more peculiar by Harry wrapping his arm around Albus.

"But please, tell me what my little Al did that upset you so much."

"What?" And even though Albus barely knew Draco Malfoy, he understood that this was an impressive sight. Malfoy men were not easily rendered speechless.

"You seemed upset that Al and Scorpius have become friends. I assumed you had a reason. Or are you still hanging on to our school days?"

Draco opened his mouth, but didn't get any farther than that before Harry cut him off.

"Speaking of our school days, do you remember what **we** did on our **first night** in the castle?"

"That was a long time ago."

Harry smirked, "Come on. No man's memory fades that quickly."

But Draco persisted, though all anger had by now left his voice, "I don't know what you're talking about, but let me simply say this: just because I did something at a certain age does not mean that I'm willing to forgive my child for doing it. I'd have thought **you**, of all people, would feel the same."

Albus felt his father's hands move through his hair, and wished he understood more of what they were talking about, "Don't twist my words, Draco. In no way do I want my children repeating my little adventures... but I do think it's worth remembering that as of this point nothing any of these three boys have done can top the trouble we landed in our first year."

Draco sighed, "Worth remembering, certainly, but let's be careful that we don't accidentally set _goals_ for some of our more..." His eyes flicked over James, whose reputation was well known, "**Ambitious**, children."

It was Harry's turn to sigh, "Draco, if our children can make it through seven years without the drama that our generation fought every semester, Ginny and I will count ourselves the luckiest parents in the world, but—"

"_But_ Astoria and I would rather we didn't rely on luck."

Harry was still for a moment, then his lips twitched into a smirk, "They were playing in the rain, Draco. No dragons, no Dark Lords, no trails of unicorn blood, no three headed dogs, no killer plants, not even a midnight Wizards Duel. Those so called 'ambitious' boys you're so worried about have already been here and done their damage. I think this lot'd have to give up sleeping if they even wanted a prayer of keeping up. As it is, neither of the younger two have ever been around this many kids before, and they've only just arrived and they've already been locked in indefinitely. I don't blame them for getting a little claustrophobic. It's not as though anything happened, right, Al?"

And because Albus really didn't like lying, especially to his father, the answer came quickly, "Actually, dad—"

"_**No**_," Scorpius cut him off, and there were daggers in the gray-eyed glare Albus felt thrown at him. "Mr. Potter, nothing of any interest happened while we were outside."

"_Scorpius_," Draco snapped, "Don't be rude. Mr. Potter was not speaking to you."

"I'm sorry, father," the young blond mumbled.

"I'm not the one you should be saying that to."

"I'm sorry, Al." And when their eyes locked, Albus knew that he wasn't talking about interrupting him.

But Albus couldn't bring himself to tell him it was okay. Something in this room _wasn't_ okay. Scorpius was lying to his father, the elder Malfoy seemed to be having panic attack over nothing, and Albus' own father, who normally concealed nothing, appeared to be having a secret game of mental chess with everyone in the room.

Two pairs of green eyes met, and Albus knew his father could see the lie on all three of their faces. The smirk had fallen, and replacing it was a frown. The carefree sparkle had gone from the older green eyes, and instead they were flooded with concern. "Well, Al? 'Actually' what?"

But that was just it. Albus didn't know 'what' just now. So he did the one thing that seemed sane at the moment; He looked to James.

"Actually, dad..." The oldest student began, "You're right. Nothing happened."

Harry's gaze never left Albus. "I want to hear it from you, Al." Harry loved all of his children, but he wasn't stupid. Between James and he, Albus had always been the more truthful.

But what else could Albus say, knowing that no one else in the room was on his side. "What they said, dad. Nothing happened." _**No**__. We did not see anything get stolen. __**No**__. Strange men are not running around this campus. __**No**__. Uncle Fred was not out there to witness all of this with us. _

Harry was quiet for a long moment. "Well," He said finally, turning to Draco and joining the older blond on his feet, "There you have it." He nodded to the headmaster, "Honestly, I was hoping you'd let this go—at least for the younger two, since it's their first offense." And James colored under a small glare. "I'm sure the boys didn't mean any harm."

"We really didn't!" Albus chimed in. Things seemed to be going back to normal now. "When you said we weren't allowed on the grounds, we thought you meant, well, the **ground**s, not just outside."

"That's a foolish mistake to make," Draco reprimanded.

"Sorry," Scorpius said quietly, "But it's the truth. We thought that as long as we were _on_ the castle it would count the same as being _in_ the castle."

The headmaster drummed his fingers on the desk a few times. "I'll tell you what: Rather than give you a detention or take away points, you can all stay in here for a little while longer and write paragraphs on the importance of listening to meal-time announcements. Fair enough?"

They all exchanged quick glances.

"Yes sir." Scorpius answered for all three of them. _Well, fair compared to detention... _

"Well," Headmaster Luther said, "That settles everything, I think." He nodded to the other two adults, "You may leave now. Mr. Potter, I apologize for interrupting you at work. Our files had you down as being off today."

Harry laughed, "In the Auror world, 'day off' is just a fancy term for 'work day with no pay'. Good day, headmaster."

Harry dropped a kiss on Albus' forehead, and tried to do the same to James, but the redhead dove between his arms and hid behind the headmaster's desk, which to Albus looked a thousand times sillier than being kissed by one's own parents. "Good bye, boys. This was your one screw-up for the year. If I get another letter you're in trouble."

"Bye, dad!" Albus called.

"Later," James replied flatly, not coming out of his hiding place despite the annoyed glances from the headmaster.

The Malfoys didn't seem like much of a touching family. Draco and Scorpius, as far as Albus could see, just sort of _nodded_ at each other. Nor did they seem like the sort to share they affection verbally. Draco addressed Albus' father, "I'll meet you back at my manor," before delivering his final words, "_Behave_, Scorpius," and turning to leave.

Harry watched with the youngest Malfoy as Draco exited the office.

There was silence for a moment before Harry spoke, "You seem like a good kid, Scorpius." He offered his hand for the young blond to shake, and smiled when a much smaller and much paler hand slid into it. "Try not to let all of the time you spend with your father mess that up." Scorpius smiled and nodded as they shook hands.

They broke apart, and Harry was half-way to the door when Scorpius stopped him again. "Mr. Potter!"

"Yes?"

"You and my father... you said... and he went all... and I've never seen him like that... could you teach me to do that?"

"What? How to shut your father up? I don't know..." Harry looked thoughtful, "... Hm... I'll tell you what, Scorpius," He smiled, "I'll teach you how I did that when you're my age."

"Alright!" And there was thirty seconds of silence, followed by, "Hey! But I'll never be—"

Then the door closed.


	24. We Need To Talk

Scorpius, being the nerd of the three, was naturally the first to finish his paragraph.

The blond passed the parchment to his headmaster hopefully, and waited for the man's approval for all of five seconds before he got it. "Well done, Mr. Malfoy. You're dismissed."

"Wait for me," Albus whispered quickly, despite a glare from his headmaster.

Scorpius nodded quickly. "Right outside the door." He was gone before the headmaster could reprimand him.

Albus looked up at the adult shyly. "Sorry." He whispered before continuing to write.

And the way he whispered it brought a sudden epiphany over James. The Gryffindor finished his paper as quickly as he possibly could without it being illegible, and sprang from the office after the blond. He knew Albus would take his time and do a good job, but it was only a paragraph. James had to hurry.

"You," He demanding, grabbing the blond, "This was all your fault, wasn't it?"

"No!" Scorpius fired back.

"Liar."

"Prove it."

"I know my brother," James said surely, "That's all the proof I need. Al doesn't do stuff like this."

"And who says that_ I_ do?"

"One of you messed up."

"That doesn't mean it was me."

"It does, actually." James' glare told Scorpius in no uncertain terms that he would not let this argument would not last much longer.

"Well," Scorpius fought for an excuse, "I didn't make _you_ come!"

"But you did make Albus, didn't you?"

"Just to get away from _you_! It was his idea to play the dumb game anyway."

"But yours to break the rules, and if you get my brother in trouble again there will be problems."

"It was an accident, alright!"

"Fine. But don't let it happen again. We all three could have gotten in big trouble for that!"

"But we didn't, so what does it matter?"

"We just barely didn't! We're lucky our fathers are who they are! Anyone else in the school might have been suspended!"

"For being out of bounds _once_? Don't over-react."

"**I'm not**. Malfoy, that's just the thing! This isn't whatever rich-kid prep school you went to. Look, I'm glad my father defended us but your father's anger wasn't entirely unjustified. This school has been the site of wars, murders, cult gatherings, coven formations, and magical creature attacks. It's hidden everything from the secret to immortality to convicted serial killers. It's housed dementors, dark lords, werewolves, centaurs, giants, ghosts, poltergeists, Cerberus, basilisks, and at one point I'm pretty sure they had a vampire teaching Care Of Magical Creatures. When the staff tells you that you need to stay away from a certain place it's generally a good idea to **stay away from it**, and I think whatever we saw today was an excellent example of why."

"...Oh."

"Oh?"

"...I don't know what to say," Scorpius admitted.

"Say you understand."

"I understand."

"Understand what?" Albus asked as he stepped into the hallway.

"That I want to walk you back to your common room." James didn't give Scorpius time to tell the truth. "Scorpius is just going to go on back to his. It's nearing curfew."

"Really?" Albus asked. "All the way to the dungeons?"

"Yup." James nodded, wanting to have a talk with his brother as well.

"That's pretty far for you, isn't it?"

"I can be late."

"You're sure?"

"Yes." He began to lead the dark haired boy down the hall, but paused after a few steps and turned back to Scorpius. "Your father blames me for this, by the way. He can continue to. I don't mind."

Scorpius just nodded. "See you tomorrow, Al." He muttered before heading down the opposite hallway.

"See you!" Albus called toward his back. After a second of silence, he turned to James, "What makes you think Scorp's dad blames you?"

James smiled. "I get blamed for everything. Anyway, you should have seen the way he kept looking at me when he was talking to dad."

"Oh." Albus said quietly. "James?"

"Yeah?"

"Do dad and Scorpius' dad hate each other?"

James stopped. "I don't think so. Why?"

Albus shrugged, "I've never seen dad act that way around someone before. And Scorpius' dad kept glaring at him."

James was still for a moment, then he shook his head and the pair continued on their way. "No. I don't think they like each other that much, but they don't hate each other."

"You're sure?"

"Yup. Why? Would it bother if they did?"

Albus was quiet. "People say really awful things about Scorpius' family."

James had nothing to say to this.

Albus waited a moment for an answer, and when he didn't get one kept talking. "And when we saw them for the first time at the station, uncle Ron was... well, I'd never seen _him_ like that either."

"Uncle Ron says things he doesn't mean." James replied instantly. "Come on, Al, you know that."

"I do, but..." Albus sighed, "James, would uncle Ron be mad if I got Scorpius and Rose to be friends?"

James laughed, "I don't think he'd be _mad_—at least not for very long—but I wouldn't try if I were you."

"Why not?"

"Well, we've already got The Chosen One and an ex-quidditch star. Do you really think our family needs a Miracle Worker on top of that?"

Albus frowned. "You don't think I can do it?"

James smiled sadly, "Al, uncle George once told me that using the word 'impossible' is one of the best ways for a wizard to make himself look like a jack-ass, but that's pretty much what I mean when I say that it's _highly unlikely_ that that will ever happen. You shouldn't try to force a connection where there isn't one."

"But why isn't there one?"

James shrugged.

"Is there really something wrong with Scorpius' family?"

"...No." James replied, but Albus took note of the hesitation.

"Do you really mean that? I'd forgive him if there was."

"You would." And it wasn't a question. "But that's not the problem. Some people just don't connect. You can push them together all you want, and maybe they'll learn to be nice to each other, but you just can't force them to be friends. They have to learn to...I don't know... understand each other first, you know?"

Albus was quiet. "Yeah. I guess I know."

"Good."

Albus nodded. "Thanks, James... You're kinda smart for a second year, aren't you?"

"Hell yes." James nodded, "But to be fair, I'm _old_ for a second year. Third oldest in my class, actually. And you're pretty young for a first year."

"That's right!" Albus suddenly remembered, "Your birthday's next month, huh?"

"Yup."

"And I'm not that young! I'm still eleven, aren't I?"

"You haven't even been eleven for a month yet."

"So. That doesn't matter."

"It matters when all of your class mates are eleven too."

"Really?" Albus pouted, "But James, I don't want to be the youngest. People already think it's bad that I'm in Slytherin."

James shrugged. "It's not really a _bad_ thing to be the youngest. I mean, I had to wait nearly a year longer than everyone else before I got my Hogwarts letter. Do you think that was much fun for me?"

Albus shook his head. "I guess not."

"See? The younger students have a shorter wait to get their letter. You could probably _brag_ about that... Just, not too much."

Albus smiled, "Yeah, I could, but I don't think I will. I wouldn't want to upset people even more."

"What do you mean? Have the snakes done something?"

Albus didn't know what to say. He didn't want to lie to his brother or sell out his house. On one hand, this was the first time James had been decent to him since he'd gotten here. On the other hand, the same could be said about the other Slytherins. "No, James. Everything's fine." He figured James would be more forgiving of the lie anyway.

"You sure? If those snakes touch you, I'll—"

"Yeah. I haven't had any problems... And what happened to you not knowing me?"

James shrugged. "_Sometimes_ I can know you. I just usually don't."

Albus figured he'd take what he could get. "Okay."

James nodded. They were getting close to to the dungeons, so he'd better actually say what he'd wanted to say.

"Al, why did you go out there today?"

Albus shrugged, "We just didn't want to get caught by you Gryffs... Thanks for trying to get us before the headmaster did, though."

"No problem."

"How'd you know we were out there, though?"

_Oh, that? No problem. I had a special map hidden in my book that shows me the exact location of everyone in the school at all times. Wanna see it? I left the book in that hallway so that it wouldn't get ruined with rain, but I'm going to stop by to pick it up on my way back._ "Lucky guess."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Really really?"

"Yes."

Albus frowned. "If you say so."

"I do say so." James sighed, "But Al, you really shouldn't be going out there when you aren't supposed to. You could get hurt."

"From the rain?"

"Well..." James didn't want to be as blunt with Albus as he had been with Scorpius, but the kid needed to know. "Look, sometimes the reason the staff tells us not to go somewhere is because it's not **safe** to go there. I mean, I break a lot of rules, but even I understand that. Promise you won't do it again?"

"Yeah. I promise. But James, we didn't do it on purpose."

"I know. Just be more careful from now on. Okay?"

"Okay."

James shivered as the dungeon air got to his skin.

"Night, James." Albus said with a yawn.

"Night, Al."


	25. You Are Alone

James found The Map exactly where he left it, untouched by humans or elements.

He smiled, counting the simple fact that he'd survived the afternoon as a mild victory, and listened to the bell ring through the castle, telling him he was officially out after curfew.

This didn't bother James. He'd have felt much safer with his father's cloak on, of course, but as long as he had the map he should be able to avoid anyone he didn't want to see.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

His smile widened. There were only two prefects in this area, and the closest one was Victoire! That meant his chances of getting caught (or at least of getting into trouble if he got caught) were almost non-existent. The other name on the list was Rachael Roke, who was a Hufflepuff, if James remembered form last year. That wouldn't be any trouble.

Since both prefects were going down different halls than he, James kept as much to the walls as he could, though it made his more visible. Victoire was nothing to worry about, but he didn't want to risk getting caught by lighting his wand quite yet, so he had only the torches and the moonlight to illuminate the map.

He went through two hallways without any trouble. Both prefects had split off, exploring other areas that, though not far from him, were far out of eye-sight. Though it was frustrating every now and then when he wondered past a dark spot on the wall, for the most part he had little trouble keeping his eyes on Rachael—

"_Jaaaaaaay-Aaaaamesss!"_

James froze. Was that what it sounded like? No way.

He spun slowly. Nothing. He looked at the map, and the only names in this part of the castle were his own, Victoire's, and Rachael's. Neither girl had moved any closer to him.

No. It had not been what it had sounded like. The second year continued on his way.

"_Jaaaaaamessssssssss..."_

James' instinct was to turn again and attempt to face the voice—to maybe catch a glimpse of a shadow or a spell—but he didn't know where to turn this time. The voice didn't seem to be coming from any particular direction at all. It was in front of him, behind him, above him, to both sides _and at his feet_!

The same three names were visible on the map. James watched Victoire move, and wondered how quickly he could get to her if he ran... Just because if he got caught with her, he assured himself, he'd have an excuse. Not because he was frightened of something silly like thinking he could hear his—

"_James!"_

His heart jumped into his throat, but he otherwise didn't move. He was listening for noises—_any_ noise—but there was none. No swish of a close or pop of a spell ending. He couldn't even hear the rain anymore! No footsteps on the stone, no rats savaging for food, no cats savaging for rats, no closing doors or passageways, no breathing... just silence.

"_**James!"**_And James physically jumped, not just because of the sound itself but because of the harsh tone it was now taking. The voice—or _voices_, James couldn't decide in his current panicked state—sounded annoyed now. When he'd first heard it James had thought the sound was playful, but now it was like being snapped at by a large dog.

"Who's out there?" He asked quietly. He _was_ out after hours. He wasn't about to shout, even though he didn't think the girls were quite close enough to hear anyway.

"_James..."_ The voices—Yes, plural—were pacified when James heard them again. Their tone almost seemed to say 'Yes... We've gotten your attention now, haven't we?'

"Yes," He said to the world in general, struggling to keep his voice steady, "I think we've established that that is in fact my name. I don't usually answer to other people's names."

For three minutes, James Potter didn't so much as twitch.

And for three minutes, he heard nothing.

**It's late,** James told himself. **No one thinks clearly when it's late.** He continued on his path toward his common room.

"_James."_ This time it was short, sweet, and undeniably his name. It carried a certain arrogant tone about it, like a child who was torturing an animal just to see how it would react.

James knew it wouldn't work, but he once more made a slow circle and glanced at the map.

Nothing.

"What aren't you showing me?!" He demanded of the enchanted parchment.

For a moment, the map did nothing... then words began to appear;

_Mr. Mooney regrets to inform you that he doesn't know what that's supposed to mean. We __are currently__ showing you __everything__._

James blinked. He hadn't expected it to actually _answer_ him, though he had communicated with the map once before, then unintentionally. According to his uncle Fred, communication with The Map's creators—or the copies of their personalities—was rare, but not unheard of.

"No," James said, getting a hold of himself and looking around. "Someone else is here."

The answer arrived sooner this time.

_Mr. Prongs can see nothing to indicate that._

"Then do me a favor and look harder."

_Mr. Padfoot agrees with Mr. Prongs. You are alone. _

"I am not! I can hear voices!"

_Mr. Mooney doesn't think that's a good sign._

The path to the hospital wing seemed to light up for a small moment.

"Not funny." James told it.

_Mr. Wormtail agrees. There is nothing funny about children hearing things that aren't there._

_And Mr. Padfoot would like to assure the current reader that Mr. Wormtail would, in fact, know. _

It seemed funny that talking to an inanimate object could make him feel less crazy, but did. Being able to have a conversation with these three, even if they were just copies of personalities and not real people, made him feel less alone and calmed him a little. James actually managed to smirk.

_Mr. Prongs wonders if you'd like to take back your last comment. Clearly we **are** funny._

James shook his head, thinking slightly more clearly now that his paranoia wasn't totally in control. "Is there anything you don't show on the map? Ghosts, boggarts, dementors...?"

_Boggarts? Mr. Padfoot would like to know just how much trouble you think boggarts and dementors are going to give you at school. _

_Mr. Mooney would advise you worry less about boggarts and more about that girl coming up behind you. _

James didn't question them. He wiped the map, despite knowing it was unlikely they would speak to him again any time soon, and—

"_James!"_ There it was. Again. Angry again.

James' anxiety returned in an instant. He'd almost let the marauders convince him, too!

"James!" But this voice was different from the others. This voice was very much real and—James could have cried with relief, if he'd been the crying sort—very much Victoire's.

"Victoire! I..." But he stopped himself. He _what_, exactly? 'Victoire! I've been hearing voices!' was hardly a good conversation starter. "I walked Albus back to his common room and couldn't make it back on time. Can you walk me back, and if we run into anyone tell them it's your fault I'm late?"

Victoire blinked at him a few times. "James, are you alright?"

James nodded. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

The girl blinked a few more times, then brushed it off, "Oh, no reason. Yeah, I'll walk you back."

They began the journey together in silence, and it likely would have remained that way, as this was their most comfortable state, if James had been able to resist asking, "Victoire, have you been hearing any... noises?"

"Noises?" She looked at him.

"Yeah." James felt himself color, "You know, the wind, or anything...?"

The seventh year shook her head. "No. It's been dead quiet all night."

And it was then and there that James decided he would never speak of the voices again.

Unfortunately, _the voices_ would speak of _him_ again.


	26. Flying

The next morning, something that felt miraculous to the students of Hogwarts happened; it stopped raining. The Slytherins awoke to find the water above them calm, the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors woke up and immediately flung their windows open, elated not to be soaked in the downpour as they would have been in days past. The Hufflepuffs, who were closest to the ground floor, simply ran out side, many of them still in their pajamas.

Perhaps the greatest news of all, for those of the first-year persuasion, was the un-cancellation of their flying lessons.

It wasn't very long before Scorpius found himself mounting with the other Ravenclaws, and though he was standing immediately across from Albus, it was a very different Slytherin whose gaze he was unable to shake.

He ignored it. As they lifted off the ground in a group, some with far more grace than others, and began to follow their professor in a very long and strangely wide line, the gaze still didn't turn to the front of the line. Scorpius and Albus fell back, unwilling to look like show-offs because everyone knew of their unfair advantage, and Scorpius' stalker fell back with them.

"Hey, Al?" He asked, deciding to just get this over with already.

"Yeah, Scorp?"

"Do you want to try and talk with that girl again?" Well, Albus had been staring at the little blond Slytherin for an awfully long time.

Albus hesitated. "...Yes. Yeah, Scorp, I'd like that. You don't mind?"

"Not at all."

Scorpius watched him fly away, and the girl who'd been following them immediately took his place.

She had long, light brown hair that was currently pulled back into a tight hip-length braid. Her skin was only a shade or two darker than Scorpius', and she had chestnut brown eyes. She was average height, and Scorpius knew she came to about his nose.

She kept as close to him as she could without it being dangerous, but she said nothing. She was as comfortable on a broom as he, so her posture was relaxed, and her flight almost lazy. She didn't look at him, though Scorpius knew she could feel his eyes on her. She was a Slytherin, all right. Scorpius knew Slytherin customs; Because he was being shunned, it was his job to speak to her first, breaking his own punishment. This would start their conversation without her looking too forgiving.

After five minutes or so, Scorpius couldn't take it any more. "Did you want to actually talk to me...?"

She looked up at him innocently. "Do we have something to talk about?"

The blond just rolled his eyes, "You mean you've been flying within reaching distance of me this entire time on accident?"

She stuck her nose up in a way that Scorpius knew all too well her grandmother would have been proud of, had she lived to see it. "Maybe I have. You're hardly a favorite in our circles right now, Scorpius."

"Because I was sorted into Ravenclaw? Oh, naughty little me. How ever do I sleep at night?" Scorpius supplied with an emotionless voice.

This only earned him another glare from the Slytherin.

She stretched out casually, just as Scorpius had seen her do a thousand times before. She took her eyes off her destination and her hands off her broom just as casually and as foolishly as she had the first time they'd mounted together.

She turned to Scorpius to speak, but the Ravenclaw cut her off. "Let me guess, your next sentence begins with 'My mother says...'?"

She froze, and her mouth fell into a frown for just long enough for Scorpius to know he'd been correct before she glared at him, "No," She hissed, "My mother _informed me_—"

"That's the same thing," Scorpius cut her off, "Just with better vocabulary."

"Is not!"

"Is too."

"Is not!"

"Is too, but please go on. Just what _did_ your mother _inform you_ of?"

The girl's eyes grew wide and traveled around the class critically before she looked back at him. "Well, I can't really say it here, can I? You know. That thing you're doing over winter break...?"

Scorpius nearly flipped off of his broom. "Is mother shouting that to the world **already**?!"

The Slytherin sneered. "Her older sisters aren't 'the world', Scorpius, and actually I think it was your father who fire-called about it." She smirked for a second then pouted at him sarcastically, "Why? Don't you want us there?"

"Not really," Scorpius felt no guilt in admitting. "I want my parents there, and I want my grandparents there. I don't need you silly girls running around too."

She looked hurt. Scorpius didn't care. "We're not just silly girls, you know! Don't get all high and mighty just because you think this makes you a man!"

"Please, Emma, I'm not high and mighty. I just don't want you there."

"I'd invite you to mine!"

"Not because you wanted to."

Emma glared, "Either way, you'd be there." She told him sternly. "We're family. We _ought_ to be there for each other."

Scorpius sneered. "You don't want to be there for me! You want to be there for you. Don't kid yourself."

"Oh, so I'm kidding myself, huh?"

"You're sure as Hell not kidding me."

She pouted, "Well, your mother will invite me, even if you don't."

Scorpius sighed, "I'm sure. It won't change my feelings though. I don't want you there."

"Well, why not?"

Because the more people attending, the more difficult it would be for him to get cold feet at the last minute. "You're going to make a show out of it—"

He was cut off by a high, terrified scream.

* * *

"Lisa, if you'd just listen to me—"

"I don't want to, Albus! I thought I'd made that very clear!" She started to glare at him, but had to return her eyes to professor Creevey and her broom when she lurched uncomfortably. It was clear she didn't have Albus' flying experience.

Albus brushed her bad form off and went on, "But I really am sorry—"

"As you should be!"

"Then what's the problem? You think I should be sorry, I think I should be sorry, and I _am_ sorry, so why not just accept it?"

"Because it's not that simple, Albus! I took a big risk for you! I was willing to put aside everything and help you despite your family, but you couldn't even stop insulting mine!"

"I know," Albus half-sobbed, "And I'm really _really_ _**really**_ sorry!"

"So what?" She turned and glared at him, "You didn't change in—"

"Lisa, look!"

But he wasn't fast enough. Her scream filled the sky as she crashed into the boy in front of her, and tumbled off her broom, thirty feet from the ground.


	27. Fear, relief, and possible unemployment

Lisa caught Albus more than he caught her, really. He watched her flip from her broom, and instinct took over. He pulled into a steep dive, and all he had to do was get close enough to her, and she latched onto him.

In the process, however, she flipped him over. Albus now hung upside down, clinging to his broom, which he was having trouble stopping due to the new weight, with one hand and his locked angles while Lisa clung to his other hand for dear life.

All around and above them their classmates were screaming. As Albus clung tightly to a piece of her robe—the only thing he could get a decent grip on—he wondered what had happened to the boy she'd crashed into, but he didn't dare turn to look.

"No one go near them!" Albus heard the professor scream from some considerable distance away... He couldn't be below them?! He was just on his broom five seconds ago—

"Don't let go of me!" Lisa screamed over all of the others.

"I won't!" Albus promised her.

"Are you sure?" She looked near to crying.

"I'd die first!"

The broom swayed with the wind—there was nothing Albus could do to stop it from this angle—and as his feet slipped and his left hand alone kept them on the broom for an entire ten seconds, he realized what a very real possibility that was.

He couldn't understand anything now, the screams from all directions were so loud. All he could do was keep moving forward and pray their professor would do something.

Then the broom jolted to stop.

Lisa screamed, Albus found himself holding onto her by her fingers. He didn't have time to wonder how he wasn't hurting her. Her left arm swung wildly, trying and eventually succeeding in getting a good grip on his wrist.

It was about this time that Albus noticed that the screams of fear had changed to screams of words.

"Let go of her!"

"He's got her!"

"It's okay now!"

Albus didn't want to listen to them. What if they were wrong? He couldn't let her go!

"I have her, Mr. Potter!" The instructors voice flowed up to Albus. "You can let her go!"

But Albus' heart continued to pound in his ears. He looked to Lisa, who looked down at Professor Creevey fearfully before she nodded to Albus.

He let her go.

She hovered there a moment before gently floating downward.

Albus didn't watch her entire trip to the ground. He was now calm enough to realize how badly he himself was shaking, and both of his hands were locked around his frozen broomstick in a death grip, pulling himself close to his broom, before he'd even thought about it. He wasn't even feeling brave enough to attempt the flip that would normally come naturally to him to get himself upright again on the broom.

He stayed like this for several minutes before he felt strong arms around him, and he was pulled onto Professor Creevey's broom.

Albus' arms wrapped around the adult and he clung to the teacher's scarlet robes.

Albus' broom remained in the air, unmoving, until the teacher reached out and grabbed it casually.

"Can you carry this?" He asked, glancing over his shoulder at Albus.

Their eyes met, but the first year said nothing. Nor did Albus untangle his hands from the teacher's robes.

"...Alright then." And professor Creevey guided them to ground effortlessly enough, though Albus knew it would have been a slightly smother ride if he'd been able to use both ands and turn his body to stare. Albus didn't really mind though. He'd rather be able to hold on through a bumpy ride than have a smooth ride with no grips right now.

When he landed, Albus immediately fell over flat onto the grass. He didn't care how stupid he looked. For the first time in his life he was thrilled to **get off** of a broomstick.

"Albus, are you alright?" The teacher asked quickly.

Albus gave a muffled "Yes," and the man left him.

Scorpius was by his side in an instant, speaking to him frantically, but Albus wasn't hearing a word of it. Nothing existed but the blades of grass beneath him and his pounding heart.

* * *

Lisa was humiliated. Tears were streaming down her face, and she couldn't stop them. The medi-witch had appeared out of nowhere the instant the teacher had let her down, and had since hovered over her, asking a lot of questions but not really doing anything—largely because there was nothing to do.

Deep down Lisa knew she should probably just be thanking Merlin that she hadn't been killed—or worse, that she hadn't killed the Ravenclaw boy she'd crashed into. It seemed that it had taken professor Creevey so long to help her because he'd fallen off of his broom too, and the flying teacher had gone to catch him.

She felt the flying coach's hand on her cheek, and through blurry eyes caught him kneeling in between her and the boy she'd hit.

"Are you two alright?"

"Yes, sir." The Ravie supplied obediently. "No thanks to _her_." Lisa didn't need to see his glare to know that if looks could kill, she would have preferred for Albus to let her fall.

"None of that, Mr. Adams," The professor reprimanded him sternly. He looked to Lisa, "And you? Are you alright, darling?"

Lisa felt pathetic when all she could do was sniffle and nod.

"Good," Came a voice that Lisa recognized as Headmaster Luther's. The flying teacher moved—Lisa didn't want to assume the worst and think he was pushed, though it certainly _looked_ like it—to the side, and the headmaster stood in between the first years. "Ms. Wascon, you've just cost the school two very nice brooms. Will I be able to get a hold of your father this afternoon to discuss payment for—?"

"For Merlin's sake, Logan!" The medi-witch cut him off, "The girl has just had come _this close_ to **dying**, and you want to talk to her about money?!"

"Dying?" The headmaster repeated. "Don't over-excite yourself, Padma. I'm sure Dennis had everything under control." The headmaster's voice took on a threatening tone, and Lisa was half-glad she couldn't see any of the adult's faces. "At least I certainly **hope** he did, because if not the Board is going to want **someone's** blood, and it's not getting mine."

"They're first time flyers!" Professor Creevey defended himself quickly, "Accidents happen, sir. This was no one's fault."

"I really do hope you can prove that." Lisa was addressed again, "As for you, Ms. Wascon, I think writing a few lines on this class' safety rules would do you some good. I expect Professor Creevey can squeeze you in for detention this afternoon...?"

"Sir, I don't think that's necessary—" Professor Creevey began.

"And I don't think this entire class is really necessary, but we can't win them all, can we, Dennis? —That goes double for you, Padma! Do you think I'm in the mood to fight about this? We aren't even a quarter of the way through the first term, and we've already had reporters turning the place inside out, we've had to work around weather that the devil himself must have sent, the sons of two of our most valued alumni are strutting around the place making the children of every other alumni nervous as Hell, and now Dennis can't even keep his students on their Merlin forsaken broomsticks! Do you **really** want to push me right now?"

The place was still silent, save Lisa's continued crying. She wanted so badly to stop, but after everything that had happened it felt as though now that she'd started she'd never stop—and her first detention on top of it?! Her father was going to **kill** her...

The headmaster left, and the medi-witch pulled Lisa into her arms, hiding her tear stained face from her classmates. Now that the headmaster was gone and things seemed to be calming down, a crowed of girls had gathered around Lisa. Whether they intended to comfort her or to mock her she didn't really care to find out.


	28. Keep your mates close

**Author's Note:**** With any luck updates will be more frequent the closer we get to winter. In the mean time, I'm updating as often as I can. Please read the Authors Notes at the bottom after you read this chapter. If at any point you think about stopping while reading this chapter. Some of you may find the contents of this chapter upsetting, and I think in most cases the Author's Note will be a comfort to you. **

* * *

"_...Have you heard the new one about Potter? Apparently he tried to kill some Slytherin girl!..." _

"_...Oh, and did you hear about MiniMalfoy? He has some gay crush on Potter and tried to kill this Slyth girl that Potter was hanging around with..."_

"_...Melinda's little brother is in that class. He swears he saw Potter **push** her! Word in the Common Room is that he didn't think she was Slytherin enough..." _

"_...It's a bloody wonder! Hardly a student's been nicked since Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy left, but the moment all of their sons are back here we get more Hell in a week..." _

"_...You've got it all wrong! It was the **girl** who had it out for the **Ravies! **She probably thinks we stole Malfoy from Slytherin—Ha! They can have him, I say—but everyone saw her push one of our first-years..."_

"_...I've never trusted the Malfoy family and their lot. My dad say they're all a bunch of snakes no matter what house crest they're wearing. Ask any first year in that class and they'll tell you that Scorpius was hanging back out of the teacher's sight..." _

By Scorpius' watch, the two boys were in the Great Hall for exactly two minutes, including travel time. They then decided that they would be far more comfortable eating somewhere less crowded.

Scorpius' first suggestion was the kitchen, but Albus felt that even without Drake and Lisa down there, there was too much danger of being caught. Headmaster Luther was unlikely to be lenient on second-time offenders, especially this early into the year. The idea of spending another period up the Owlery eating today's sweets from Narcissa was quickly discarded by Scorpius, who wanted neither the sugar nor the trip to his dormitory to retrieve it. In the end, their answer was the one that should have been most obvious to Albus.

"Hagrid!" The dark haired boy suggested excitedly.

"Who?" Scorpius seldom came across a name he was unfamiliar with, but everyday with Albus seemed to bring with it new discoveries.

"Rubeus Hagrid. He's the Keeper of the Keys here, and he and my family go way back!"

Scorpius blinked once or twice, "Keeper of the Keys? You want to eat with a..." the word 'servant' ghosted across his mind, but because he lacked the ability to totally block out the emotions of everyone in the world but himself that was otherwise a family trademark, he switched gears at the last second, "...n adult?"

The frown that had kissed Albus' lips when Scorpius began to object lessoned only slightly, and Scropius knew that the young Potter was well aware that he'd been about to say something else. "Well, yeah. We're allowed to. Don't you want to meet him? He's a really good frie—"

"Yes, Albus!" Scorpius smiled for the other boy's benefit. "Of course I want to meet your friends! And your cousins! And I'm sure I'll love all of them!" Scorpius enjoyed Lorcan and Lysander's company, but Albus was the first person he had actually connected with since he'd arrived at Hogwarts. He certainly wasn't going to lose him to some rich-boy prejudice, no matter how his father and grandfather would scowl at the thought of him dinning with "help".

_That was over-kill, _The blond's mind chided him, _In the words of the great wizard writer Fredrick Friar; "Keep your mates close, but try to sound a little less like an over-anxious suitor, you pansy._"

Well, it had the intended effect either way. Albus' smile returned. "Really?"

"Yes," Scorpius assured him.

"You'll even try to patch things up with Rose?"

"Have **you** even—" but the other boy's smile began to fall again, and Scorpius switched tracks instantly, "Yes. I will learn to get along with her, if that's what you want."

"Scorp, that'd be great! But come on, first you have to meet Hagrid!"

* * *

"He'd never!" Rose gasped.

"Wouldn't he?"

"No!" She insisted without hesitation, "He wouldn't!"

Every first year Gryffindor girl was crowded around Rose, attempting to pry secrets about Albus' fall from grace out of her.

A girl named Brenda Bernard scoffed at Rose's denial of the most recent rumor that Albus had pushed one of their classmates off of her broomstick. "Tell me you weren't saying that exact same thing a month ago about him being sorted into Slytherin."

"**Albus** was saying that a month ago, so I didn't have to," Rose told her coldly. "Albus belongs with us. He just wanted to get into Slytherin because—"

"He **wanted** to get into Slytherin?" half of the crowed repeated in perfect sync.

Yes," Rose hissed, "He wanted to get into Slytherin because—"

"Because he's allowed to," Her cousin cut her off. James glared at the girls from a few feet away. "None of this is any of their business, Rose. Keep them out of it."

"He made his choice, James," She shot back, "And he knew they would talk. I'm trying to **help** him."

"So let them talk. You'll do a lot more good by staying out of it. You're just backing yourself into a corner."

"How so?"

"You're still fighting with him, aren't you?"

Rose frowned, "I don't know." And she didn't. Honestly, she hadn't been able to make up her mind about how she felt about this from day 1. She had gone from nervous to frightened to angry to sad to disappointed to nonchalant about the whole thing.

"Well, there you have it." James looked critically at the girls surrounding his make-up clad cousin before stealing a glance over his shoulder at the Ravenclaw table, "Well, whatever you two decide to do about this house situation, do yourselves a huge favor and decide quickly."

* * *

Hagrid's Hut.

Hagrid's **Hut**. If Scorpius was going to get through this situation, and hopefully be a better person because of it, he had to first get his mind around the dialog involved.

Hagrid's _**Hut**_. At Scorpius' old prep school, "Hut" was one of the Seven Words You Never Say Ever. The other six were Poverty, Foreclosure, "Middle" (Class), (Ministry) Raid, Incest, and Muggle.

No less, there Scorpius was, standing at the door of one and waiting for it's owner to answer.

A lock clicked on the other side, and Scorpius felt nervous. The door was pushed open, and—

"Albus! Ya stopped by!" The dark-haired boy was pulled off of his feet and into the arms of the largest man that Scorpius had ever seen.

Albus laughed, and even attempted the impossible task of returning the world's biggest embrace. Scorpius went into shock. He knew giants were real, but he knew it in the same detached way that he knew that the Catholic Pope was real. He'd never really seen one, he'd only read about them, and they certainly didn't have much effect on his life. Yet here one stood, hugging his best friend.

Though the man was much smaller than what the books had described, he had to be some kind of giant, because he was twice of the size (all around) of the largest man that Scorpius had previously seen. He wore old, somewhat ratty robes, and his hair was long and tangled, as though no one had even made an effort to tame it for quite some time, but when he put Albus back onto the ground he smiled at Scorpius, and Scorpius could see great kindness in the dark eyes set deep into his wrinkled face.

_Well, help isn't so bad_. Scorpius was somewhat reminded of a nanny he'd had for the first four years of his life. She'd been rather large, though she was certainly more human sized than this man was, and she too, Scorpius remembered, had dark hair that Scorpius had always considered messy for a girl (bearing in mind that at this point the only girls Scorpius knew were his mother, his grandmother, and a few very noble cousins on his Greengrass side). Above all though, she too had the old, wrinkly face and dark eyes that sparkled when she laughed or smiled. Scorpius' grandfather had approved of her, at least as much as he had ever approved of anyone outside of their social class. Maybe he could learn to approve of this man too.

"Well, yer not Rose." Hagrid said, not unkindly.

Scorpius colored. "No, sir." He extended his hand, admittedly somewhat fearfully. "My name is Scorpius Malfoy. I'm very pleased to meet you." He didn't often fall back on the old, over-formal introduction that his grandfather had taught him when he was younger, but he didn't know what else to do here. He found himself inclined, perhaps overly so, to make sure that this went well. Scorpius had already started off on a bad foot with Rose, and in a family like Al's he didn't think the odds were in favor of their friendship lasting if **all** of Albus' loved ones hated him.

And, totally unrelated to Albus, there was also a small twitch in the back of his mind that told him that if he couldn't get over loaded words like "help" "Light" and "muggle", his only option would be to transfer to Durmstrange.

And as a large hand closed around his own, Scorpius was relieved to feel no pain. There was great potential in the strong grip of the giant, but Hagrid seemed to have mastered his strength over the years.

"Rubeus Hagrid," The man introduced himself. "Call me Hagrid, not Rubeus. Malfoy, eh?" He examined Scorpius for a moment, then smiled, almost nostalgically. "Well, ya look like yer father, but ya don't much sound like 'em. Good ta meet ya." He stepped back and held the door open for the boys. "Any friend 'a Al's is a friend 'a mine. Come on in."

And, with most of his fears assuaged, Scorpius followed a **giant** into a **hut**.

If only his grandfather could see him now.

* * *

**Author's Note on Slash:**** Because it is a fairly well-known fact around my page that there is a very fine line between best friends, perfect enemies, and lovers, let me simply say this about the possibility of slash, or even het, shipping among my characters: ****With the sole exception of Victoire, the major characters found in this fic are **_**eleven and twelve years old**_**. Though there were instances during my childhood where I **_**thought**_** I liked someone, I did not have my first real crush until I was twelve years old, and even then, it was under such bizarre circumstances and at such an inconvenient time in my life that it took me another two years to fully recognize what the emotion I was feeling actually was. These characters are just starting on puberty. Their sexualities are extremely and firmly undefined, and will remain as such for quite some time. Will we see some cute, precious-moments style puppy-love? Occasionally, perhaps. Is anything going to get serious with any of my main characters? Not for a long time, if we even make it that far.**** I do hope that answers all questions and shoots down any fears or hopes that readers may catch from what **_**might**_** be taken as **_**mild**_** slash-teasing in this chapter. I have teased you for heterosexual parings in the past, and I will continue to tease you as the series goes on, but until the characters have all matured a bit, both physically and emotionally, **_**teasing is all that you should take it for**_**. **

**Author's Note on Slash (cont)**** Honestly, I was half-afraid to say something here, since what I've written wasn't entirely intended to be slash-like. I know that now some of you are going to go ****_looking_ for something that is only some-what there. However, I know how quick some of my readers are to hit the "slash" buzzer, and I thought it was better that I be perfectly clear on the matter now than continue to ignore it because I know that some readers would rather it not be brought up at all. **

**Author's Note on Scorpius in general:**** This chapter put me in a difficult position. I'm sure some of you will not be happy with Scorpius' reaction to Albus' revelation about Hagrid, but it had to happen. The Malfoy family has been trying to reform itself since they switched sides at the end of the war, and they've done a pretty good job as far as blood is concerned (more on that long and painful process later) but these things don't happen over night, and that still leaves the messy issue of some of the other prejudices, mainly economic, that Scorpius was, to an extent, raised with. There is a reason that Scorpius refused to go into Slytherin. He's trying, and he will get better as he grows (and so will his family). Do not judge him by his automatic reaction to certain things. **


	29. A Dream

**Author's Note:**** Yes, I am aware that it's very short, but I want to devote a little more time to the next bit I want to write at Hogwarts. This chapter may seem like a filler now, but I promise you, I'm going somewhere with it, so bear with me and read it, even though it doesn't have our title characters in it. If anyone thinks they can tell why Narcissa is so upset, do tell. **

* * *

"_Ouch!" _

"_Oh, hush." The older of the two girls hissed the command, but her hand, no less, stilled. A long, professionally done emerald nail traced down the tight knots and curves of her sister's braided angelic blond hair. _

"_You have a tie for it, right?"_

"_Of course." The older girl pinched the tip with her left hand, and with her right dug out a forest green hair tie and an emerald ribbon. "For luck," She explained when her younger sister turned to look. _

"_She doesn't need luck." The third girl in their compartment said dismissively, abandoning her OWL-prep Defense Against the Dark Arts book on the floor to lie back in the seat across from her little sisters. She let her short, midnight-colored hair scatter as it pleased, but she paused to straighten her Slytherin prefect badge. _

"_It won't do any harm, Bella." The middle girl said with a tone that suggested she had a lot of practice dealing with her sibling's my-way-or-no-way attitude. "Just leave us alone." _

"_It might not do any harm, but that doesn't mean I should pretend that it will do any good." Her raven eyes locked with her youngest sister's soft blue ones. "You're a Black, Cissy. There's only one place for you to go."_

_The eleven year old nodded timidly, listening to the sound of the train drawing her ever-closer to her new life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. "But B..." She looked up at the fifth year and instantly changed her mind, turning instead to the third year behind her, "Ann?" _

_Bella's eyes flicked over the pair, but left nearly instantly and returned to roof of their compartment. _

"_Yes?" Ann replied as the two turned to face forward on their seats again. _

_Narcissa considered the contrast between her two sisters. _

_Their father had come to terms with the fact that, after complications with Narcissa's birth, their mother would never be able to conceive again, and thus he would never father a son. Bella had come to terms with their father not-so-secretly held the gender of his first child against her. The result, whether by the intention of both parties, either party, or freak coincidence, was that Bella was as much like a boy as would ever be deemed acceptable. Bella was athletic. Despite being the oldest, she had the smallest breasts of all three of them, and her muscles told everyone why. She didn't have curves, but everything was flat and in shape. Her black hair was above her shoulders, and just barely long enough to qualify for their father's definition of a "girl" hairstyle. She never played with it, or even styled it beyond routine washing and brushing. Her robes were conservative, and her bag had been purchased directly from the school, and bared only the Slytherin crest against a black background. Bellatrix played beater for the Slytherin quidditch team, and bared the combined shame and honor of being the first witch to get that position since the school's founding. Their father was pleased with her, in an eternally half-hearted, delusional way. _

_Andromeda's response to Bellatrix's gender crisis was to become the "real" girl of the family. She had curves and breasts, and elegance and grace. She read the classical works that their older sister scorned. Her robes were always flattering, though in a tasteful way, and her chestnut colored hair was long and always professionally styled. Her brown eyes were warm and caring. Ann was by far the better one to go to when you needed someone to talk to. _

"_What if I don't make Slytherin?" Narcissa herself was thin, short, small in every way, with fair features and a delicate personality to match them. She was, as of yet, too young to really have her own tastes in clothing, but she wasn't enjoying her sisters attempts at creating one for her. _

_Andromeda smiled sympathetically, "Narcissa, what—"_

* * *

Sky blue eyes popped open.

Narcissa Malfoy's heart hadn't been this heavy since the death of her oldest—her _only_, she reminded herself, shutting her eyes to all evidence to the contrary—sister. She was shaking as she fought back tears, and what few breaths she could draw in were sharp and staggered. It scared her that she didn't have the slightest idea why.

She forced herself to take deep breaths, and tried to sort this out. The room she was in was not her bedroom. The clock told her that it was just before noon. She had dozed off while curled up on the love seat in the library, reading this months issue of Witch Weekly. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't even _uncomfortable_, let alone upsetting. Her half finished breakfast was sitting on the coffee table, perfectly cooked as always. Lucius and Draco were away, but they had kissed her good bye and assured her that they loved her and would see her soon, and she had no reason not to believe them. There was still tension about all of the issues with Scorpius, but few actual fights had broken out, and Narcissa truly was not overly-worried about her grandson.

After a few more deep breaths, she thought she could suppress it enough to go on with her day. She scooped her copy of Witch Weekly up off of the floor, and returned her eyes to the article she'd been reading.

"_...Anabelle Allan's decaplets will be the first set ever born in Wizarding England..."_

And then she threw the magazine back down and cried for two hours.


	30. Memories

**Author's Note: This is one of those chapters where I would _really_ like feedback because it was not exactly easy to write. I tried to make the transitions through time as clear as I could, but just incase they're still confusing; _The areas in plain texts are the current time, when Narcissa is in her sixties_, the areas in Italics are the ending line from the dream she had in the last chapter (when she was eleven), _and the areas in bold are from when she was in her fourties during Draco's seventh year, from her marriage at eighteen, and from when Ann got disowned when she was fifteen._ Once again, I am sorry that our main characters are absent, and I assure you that I really am going somewhere with this. I had meant to get back to Albus, Scorpius, and Hagrid in this chapter, but the next thing I knew it was after five o'clock on a school night and this chapter was five pages long. Anyway, those of you who have been reading my Author's Notes know that "I intended..." pretty much sums up my entire "carreer" as a writer. Onto the important stuff (the fic)... **

* * *

"_Narcissa,"_ No. It wasn't fair. She had been so young. She hadn't consented to any of this.

"**My Lord," Narcissa tensed at the voice beside her. Her manicured nails dug into designer robes, and she prayed that once—just for _once_—their master would let them off easily. "It is an honor to have you here, in our family's," In _her_ family's, Narcissa correctly her sister silently, "House. There can be no higher pleasure."**

"**No higher pleasure?" The Dark Lord seemed amused, and Narcissa could feel the jab coming. Why did her sister even try anymore? "That means a great deal, Bellatrix, from you." **

**_Good, Bella, now just shut up and let him_—**

"**My Lord knows I speak nothing but the truth!" **

**_You fucking stupid_... Narcissa braced herself. Draco, just barely past his seventeenth birthday, looked sick. He must have known as well as she did what was coming. **

"**No higher pleasure... even compared with the happy event that, I hear, has taken place in your family this week?" **

**Ever the gossip girl, Narcissa knew in an instant what he meant. While Bella stood there, confused, she would have cried, had she not known how vastly... _inappropriate_... it would have been. Swear, scream, kick, hex, or laugh mockingly, but it was _always_ inappropriate to cry over spoiled blood. **

"_Whatever happens,"_ These memories were back, after all these years, but they had no right to be. Narcissa wanted them gone.

"**Oh, Narcissa, you look so gorgeous!" _Narcissa. Narcissa. Narcissa._ Not Cissy. Not today, when she was to become a woman. The nails on the ends of the fingers that carded through the youngest Black girl's hair were short and unpainted. "Of course, you've always been the pretty sister. I've always been so boyish that _of course _you look better in a wedding robe than I did."**

"**Thank you, Bella." And Narcissa wasn't entirely sure if she was thanking her sister for the compliment, or for sharing her rather impressive ability to pretend that Narcissa had never vied for the title of The Pretty One against anyone but Bella. **

"**Have you seen yourself, Narcissa?" Bella took her hand and led her to a mirror—though Narcissa didn't know why she needed to be _led_; She was getting married, not going blind. **

**And, indeed, Narcissa supposed she looked unusually amazing. Her hair had been styled by Veelas, her nails had been painted with crushed Basalisk scales, her skin had been treated with virtually everything in existence, and her clothing had been fitted to make everything that should be large appear so, while ruthlessly crushing everything that ought to be small. **

"**You know," Bella said dreamily, "From the moment I was settled in with Rudolphus, I've so been _longing_ to see my little sister get married." **

**_I'm sorry you had to wait longer than you'd planned,_ Narcissa didn't say. That would have been highly inappropriate. **

**Bella traced the designs on Narcissa's sleeves, "This is more fun than getting married myself was!"**

**Of course it is. Getting married yourself isn't much fun at all when it's an arranged married to a man you hardly know with the sole purpose of creating a pure-blooded son to carry on someone else's line. It's much more fun to sit back and gush while someone else gets married. **

**Narcissa knew her life with Lucius would be _comfortable_. She would have servants, money, and power, and based on what little interaction she'd had with him, Lucius truly was charming, handsome, and at least slightly caring if not gentle or thoughtful. He was not a romantic, but even if she was not to be the perfect bride at the center of his entire world, she would be a valuable asset, and he would treat her well. One of Narcissa's school friends had been married to an American wizard who beat her; Narcissa felt blessed that she could not expect such treatment from Lucius. Maybe she could grow to love him, but even in the worse case imaginable, they were both much to valuable to each other to ever harm the other. **

"**Tisk-tisk, girls!" Their mother sang as she entered the room. "Narcissa isn't finished yet!" It was not at all uncommon for a girl to find that around her wedding day everyone who wasn't speaking directly to her referred to her as though she were some kind of painting, particularly the sort that needed to be re-done multiple times in order to be _just right_.**

"**Isn't she, mother?" Bella looked Narcissa over carefully, attempting to discover what was missing. Narcissa held still obediently and didn't say anything. **

"**Sweet Slytherin, Bellatrix, no!" Their mother laughed. **

**Narcissa felt her mother's wand hit her on the back of the head, and she only just prevented herself from screaming as two new holes were torn in her ears. She could not, however, hold back a small keening noise.**

"**Shhh, Narcissa," Her mother's voice was soft, but there was a definite commanding undertone. Pearl earrings were promptly shoved into their new holes, and Narcissa calmed down as the pain stopped. "Such sounds are unladylike on a day like this." **

**Bellatrix reached over and carefully wiped away the tears of pain that had begun forming in Narcissa's eyes. "You should be seen, Narcissa." Bellatrix said flatly, as though she'd memorized the line for her own wedding day, "Not heard."**

"**And _my_," Narcissa was forced around, so that she was facing her older sister, and yet another necklace was pulled onto her. "She _should_ be seen, shouldn't she? I do hope it doesn't bother you, Bellatrix, that she's getting more jewelry than you did. At the time of your wedding it felt as though I was saving a lot of this for _something_, but for the life of me _now_ I can't think of what it was!"**

**Narcissa glanced down, and though Bellatrix instantly forced her head back up, that instant was all she needed. The necklace that was now around Narcissa's neck had always been among Andromeda's favorites in their mother's collection. Around the time of Bella's wedding, Ann had begged their mother to give it to _her_ on her wedding day.**

**Bella shook her head and waved a hand dismissively, "Oh, mother, if you'd given something like this to me I would have worn it on my wedding day then put it in a drawer and not taken it out again until my own daughter's wedding. Cissy will get far more use out of it..." Not quite satisfied with their mother's excuse, Bella went on, "Anyway, you have to consider the husbands. There are some men on whom such _lovely_ gifts..."Bellatrix caressed Narcissa's cheek. The contempt in her eyes indicated that her own husband was not who she'd had in mind when she'd said 'some men' "...Are wasted. Lucius will appreciate what the Black family is giving him, and use it for good in a way that _lesser_ men could never."**

"**Indeed." Narcissa was turned again, and her mother's lips landed on her forehead. "Salazar Slytherin was smiling on you when your father began searching for your husband, Narcissa. You are very lucky." **

**Narcissa said the only thing she could. "Thank you, mother." **

"_We're sisters. Okay?" _

"**Andromeda, how could you do this?!" Their father's knuckles were white. His hand was shaking as he aimed his wand directly between the eighteen year old's frightened, watering brown eyes. **

"**Daddy," And for the first time since she was nine, Narcissa saw one of her older sisters cry. "I love him, okay?"**

**A room full of silence condemned her, and the tears began to flow at twice the rate. **

"**Daddy, _please_ tell me that's okay!" **

"_Our love can survive anything." _

**Narcissa collapsed where she stood on the staircase. The fifteen year old began to cry uncontrollable tears of her own. Her father was going to hurt her sister. She knew that. Tradition demanded that he _kill_ her for a betrayal like this. All Narcissa could do was wait for the screaming to start. **

**For one moment, a moment that would haunt Narcissa for many years, she was _relieved_ when her father began screaming. She was relieved to hear her father push Andromeda away from him, onto her back on the hard wooden floor of their living room, and scream, "You ungrateful little whore!"**

**Andromeda stayed where she landed, weeping, "Daddy, I didn't mean for this happen! I just let myself get carried away! I didn't mean to upset you—"**

"**You didn't mean to upset me?!" The pure wrath in Cygnus Black's scream would have frightened a mandrake. **

**Narcissa couldn't watch. She buried her eyes in her robes and let her tears stain the material. **

"**_Father_!" Andromeda's pleas fell on deaf ears, "Father _please_!" **

"**You stupid slut, it doesn't matter what you _meant_ by it! _This is me upset_!"**

"**Daddy—" **

**He didn't hex her, but Narcissa would never forget the sound of his hand colliding with her face, if only because of the words that followed. **

"**No daughter of mine marries a mud-blood." He wasn't shouting anymore. Narcissa had to steady her breathing to even hear him. "Perhaps this is my fault. Perhaps I've been too lenient on you and your sisters. Andromeda, when I told you to stay away from pieces of _filth_ like that boy, did you think I'd meant it in the same way I'd meant it when I used to tell you not to leave your magazines downstairs or not to let any of your grades fall below an 80? Andromeda, did I somehow give you the idea that if you defied me _here_, I would simply ground you for a week and then everything would go back to normal?" **

**The brunette only sobbed in reply.**

**Narcissa had to look now, and when she did she found her father holding Andromeda close by the collar of her robes. Druella and Bellatrix stood near the entrance to the dining room like statues. **

"**Regardless of past mistakes, let me make myself clear _now_..." Cygnus Black said darkly. He let go of Andromeda robes, and he shoved her toward the front door. "Get out of my house. Go _immediately_ to that boy, and tell him that he is filth and that you never want to see him again." His voice softened slightly, "Then you can return, and we'll clean you up and start talking about your _proper_ marriage. In a few months this whole unpleasant ordeal will be behind us." He swallowed hard before going on, "If you haven't returned by midnight tonight, you aren't welcome back." **

**Andromeda gasped. **

"**I said go, you filthy, treacherous, _bitch_!" **

**Andromeda ran out of the house without looking back. **

**For the three hours until midnight, no one left the living room. By the time their clocked chimed twelve times, Narcissa was crying so hard she couldn't see. **

**Bella was shaking, but it was their mother who made the first real move. **

"**Cissy, my darling little girl..." Druella walked toward Narcissa as though she meant to hold her, but Cygnus stopped her. **

"**_Leave her_, Druella."**

**But contrary to his own advise, Cygnus walked over to Narcissa and pulled her, not gently, but not nearly as hardly as he'd pulled Andromeda hours before, to her feet. **

**He roughly rubbed the tears from her eyes and forced her face up toward him. "Are you going to miss her?" There was no threat in his voice, but Narcissa could feel that there _was_ most certainly a wrong answer, she just didn't know what it was. **

**She didn't have the strength to lie. She could only sniffle and nod. **

**And if there is one memory of that night more clear than the sound of his hand on _Andromeda's_ face, it's the sound of his hand striking _her_ face. The physical pain was nothing compared to the shock and betrayal.**

"**Father!" Bellatrix was by Narcissa's side in an instant.**

**Her father reached out with his right hand—the hand he had just used to slap his younger daughters—and held her mouth roughly. She could have pulled free in an instant if she'd chosen to, but being his perfect, eldest, purest, favored, and most eternally obedient child, she instead chose to hold very still while her father addressed her younger sister.**

**Cygnus Black's eyes burnt hole's in his younger daughter's. "You are fifteen, Narcissa. You should know by now that we do not cry over spoiled blood. It's inappropriate. Alright?" **

**Narcissa nodded eagerly. **

**Cygnus turned and released Bellatrix, and when he took a close look at her, he began to smile fondly. **

"**Father," Bella's voice was soft this time, and her eyes were down. She looked more like a weak, helpless housewife than like a strong, opinionated twenty-year-old. "Don't be angry with Narcissa. This isn't her fault."**

"**I'm not angry." Cygnus replied despite all evidence to the contrary. Narcissa didn't fight when he drew her into his side, and wiped her tears more tenderly. "Not with _her_, anyway. I just need her to understand." **

"**She understands, father." Bella still wouldn't meet their father's eyes. "This is not your fault either. Andromeda did this alone, and Andromeda alone deserves to pay for it."**

"**Are you angry, Bellatrix?" This question did not have the hidden threat that his question to Narcissa did. **

"**Yes, father." And though Bella's voice didn't give it away, her trembling body did. **

"**Good." Cygnus tilted her chin up, and when their eyes met she was her vindictive self again.**

"**I..." And _now_ Bella's previously submissive voice cracked, giving away the anger. "I want to hurt her, father." **

"**I know you do." **

**Narcissa's mother silently pulled her away from her father, and sat with her on the nearest chair, comforting her. Narcissa managed to contain her tears. **

"**But," Cygnus went on, his eyes never leaving Bella, "It would do our family no good to see you sent to Azkaban over a blood traitor... Do you know what would please me now, Bellatrix?" **

**The elder Black girl was quiet for a moment. Then her eyes lit up. "Yes, father." Her voice was once again submissive, but there was a smile on her face that seemed impossible under the circumstances. **

"**And your husband can arrange it?" **

"**Yes, father."**

"**Then go to him." **

"**Yes, father." **

**The next time Narcissa would see Bellatrix, she would have the Dark Mark on her arm. Narcissa had forever wondered if this conversation was the reason for that, but she'd never had the courage to ask. She could never figure out which answer would frighten her more. **

**Cygnus' shoes clicked on the wood floor as he approached his wife and youngest daughter. He studied them for a moment, then smiled. "My _darlings_, don't be sad." He brushed his finger again beneath Narcissa's eye, and this time looked pleased. "Dry." He cooed, "I'm very proud of you, Narcissa. Blood traitors are not worth messing up such a pretty face for."**

**Narcissa didn't know where the strength to speak came from, but she couldn't have been more relieved when she found it. "Thank you, father." **

Life as a pure-blood is not fair.

"_You're sure, Ann?" _

"_Yes, Cissy. We'll love each other no matter what." _


	31. Purebloods and muggleborns

**Author's Notes:**

**1. Yes, Long Time No Update, I know. I'm very sorry. Junior year's a bitch. That's all I'm gonna say.**

**2. Sorry that the Scorpius bit is so short, but I seldom give Rose any real attention, and I think that should probably change.**

**3. As far as the roommates-don't-knock thing goes, this probably varies depending on the school, but I've living in dormitories twice, with a different roommate both years, and I/we never knocked. Of course, our dormitories were old as Hell so by the time we managed to wiggle the door unlocked our roommate had already gotten plenty of warning that we were coming in/opening the door...**

**4. There was something else I wanted to say, but I don't remember what it was. Hopefully I'll remember and come back to it the next time I update. Or someone will ask me in a review. **

* * *

Scorpius was surprised by how very _efficient_ it was for a hut. From the outside it looked like it was about the size of his mother's walk-in closet, and now that Scorpius was inside of it he could see that it was actually _smaller_, but it was impressive how much the giant could fit inside of it.

It only seemed to have three rooms—a main room, a bedroom, and a small bathroom—but Scorpius supposed that that was about all of the room he'd need, living here all by himself. The "kitchen" consisted only of a few cabinets, a sink, and a cauldron, and nothing separated it from the main room or the dinning room, but Scorpius thought it was kind of cozy.

Hagrid had taken to being suddenly forced to play lunch host rather well. Before Scorpius knew it he was sitting on enormous chairs before a scrubbed wooden table, nibbling on a sandwich and sipping tea while Albus tried to get both of his friend's caught up on the other's life history.

Scorpius found Hagrid to be a pleasant man, at least whenever the over-excited Albus would allow one or both of his friends to get a word in. Hagrid showed none of the signs of nobility that Scorpius had been raised with; his speech was uncultured, his clothing looked mostly home-made and very well used, and his large hands were rough from physical work... but those weren't necessarily unattractive qualities. The adults that Scorpius' parents and grandparents approved of and counted in their circle of friends were... _distant_ was probably the friendliest way to put it. Everything had to be proper in all ways at all times, so most so-called-noble adults in Scorpius did **nothing** out in public, because while doing nothing is always proper, doing anything else is a calculated risk that most don't think are worth the benefits. Not being noble was to be real.

"...And then I went up to the library to write my letters, only Scorpius was already up there, so..." Scorpius sighed contentedly, paying far more attention to the giant's reaction to this story than he was to how Albus was telling it. So far, this mean had gone astoundingly well...

"...and then we realized that we had potions class together, so..."

And it was just about then that Scorpius realized that something was cuddling up against his leg.

"...Er, excuse me, Albus," Scorpius interrupted. He was half afraid to look under the table, largely because he knew the answer to his question before he asked it, "Do you have a cat, Hagrid?"

The large man paused. "No."

Scorpius wasn't at all surprised. What he was feeling wasn't warm enough or soft enough to be a cat. It was cool and hard and... scaly?

"Why?"

Scorpius took a deep breath, then bent over and looked under the table.

* * *

Rose couldn't stay in the Great Hall. James' intervention had only further encouraged her house mates, and she just couldn't believe the awful things that they were so will to accept about her cousin. Most of them hadn't even met Albus!

She'd fled to her own dormitory, for lack of anywhere better to go. There were eight Gryffindor dormitory rooms for every year; four for each gender. Rose, being cursed with a last name near the very end of the alphabet, was in Gold II, at the very end of the first year girls' hallway. She shared the room with three other girls (because there were only 18 Gryffindor girls in her year, only the Red dormitories had five girls to a room) named Wendy (White), Yulia (Yablonski) and Akira (Yamanashi), all three of whom had mercifully remained in the Great Hall for lunch.

As she lie on her bed, feeling weak and so powerless to stop the world from spinning on and on around her, she turned James' words over in her head.

_Decide quickly_? He made it sound so easy. How could he not realize how betrayed she felt? And yet... She also felt as though she was the one who had betrayed Albus.

But why would she feel like that? She had done exactly what everyone had wanted her to do. She had gone into Gryffindor. She had made Gryffindor friends—well, one Gryffindor friend, at least—and she had done so joyfully, because it was what her family wanted of her.

"_You have many qualities of a—"_

And then she'd cut him off. She had been so afraid that what he was going to say was going to be bad—but what was bad anymore, when Albus was a Slytherin and Gryffindors didn't trust their own housemates?—that she hadn't let him say it all, and now she would probably spend the rest of her life wondering about it.

Suppose he had said Slytherin. Then what would Rose have done? Would she have accepted it and gone with Albus? Would she have argued with him, as Scorpius Malfoy had? _What kind of Gryffindor is so afraid of her own mind?!_

What if the hat had placed _her_ in Slytherin and _Albus_ in Gryffindor? If their roles were reversed, would Albus really be able to treat it as though nothing had happened and nothing would change, as he seemed to expect her to? Would he worry about her as she was now worrying about him, or would he trust her?

What if she had gone into Hufflepuff? Would her father be angry with her? Would she be getting letters from her uncles and grandparents?

What if she'd been put into Ravenclaw? Would she feel differently about Scorpius? Would she feel like a family outcast for being one of very few Weasley's ever to not make Gryffindor?

What if. What if. What if. She would never know What If _anything_. She knew what had happened. She just wished that she knew what to **do** about it.

A knock on the door forced her out of her thoughts.

Well, it certainly wasn't one of her roommates, since they all thought it was weird to knock when entering their own room, and at only a few minutes past noon it's not like they'd be worried that she was changing (not that it seemed to be the general custom to knock even if it was likely that your roommate was changing). She sighed and went to the door.

It was Alexis, but she wasn't alone. Standing next to her was another Gryffindor girl in their year, who was a good two inches shorter than Rose, with dark hair and freckles, and light green eyes.

"Class starts soon," The girl said quietly, only after a tense moment had passed.

"We were hoping you'd walk with us to History," Alexis told her, before biting her lip and looking away, "And maybe we could ask you—"

And Rose slammed the door in her face. The **last** thing she needed right now was more questions.

"Wait!" Alexis' muffled voice cried. "We're sorry you got mad down there!"

"Yeah!" The other girl said, sounding distraught. "We just wanted to ask you what the big deal was..."

Rose reopened the door a crack. "What?"

"With that boy. Your cousin, I think," Alexis elaborated quickly, still mostly looking nervously at the ground, and only occasionally braving a glance at Rose's face. "People keep talking about him like he's really important...but we don't know why, and we were kind of embarrassed to ask anyone down there, because you're the only one I've really told about me being... er... what I am, and—"

"What are you?" Rose asked. Whatever it was, she said it like it was some kind of disease...

"I thought you said she knew!" The other girl hissed at Alexis.

"She does! Unless she forgot..." Alexis was scarlet, but the other girl was far paler than Rose remembered her being. Though Rose couldn't remember her name yet she was certain that she'd seen her before. She was in her house and year, after all...

The other girl cleared her through nervously. "She... I... _We_..." She tried, "We... aren't from... around here..." She looked up hopefully.

From Hogwarts? Of course not. **No one** was from Hogwarts.

Then it hit her. "Oh! You're a muggle-born too!"

The new girl's hand went right to Rose's mouth, "Don't say it so loud!"

"Why not?" Rose asked, pulling her door the rest of the way open. "Did you two have a bad run in with some Slyths or something?"

"No..." Alexis said, and Rose believed her.

"It's just embarrassing." The other girl sighed. "We're here in this new world and we know nothing about it. People talk all the time about things like your cousin and the Quidditch World Cup, and they say them as though we should know all about them, but we don't."

Alexis nodded, "Even you figured out I was a muggle-born because I didn't know anything about flying."

"People think we're stupid," The other girl summarized.

Rose frowned, "Well... I... Couldn't you just go up to library and look things up?"

"_Later_ yes," Alexis said, "But... it's like today when Brenda and everyone was asking you questions. What were we supposed to do? Tell them to hold on for about an hour so that we could go up to the Library and read a book on... Who is your cousin, anyway?" And this last question did nothing to help her bright-red face.

"It's not who he is, it's who his father is," Rose explained quickly, "I'll tell you all about it on the way to History, yes. So why don't you just tell them you're a muggleborn? You told me, and it worked out alright, didn't it?"

"I told you first... and the more people I told, the less people wanted to talk to me," She admitted, "They probably got tired of having to explain everything all the time."

"So now we just smile and nod, and then try to figure it out later." The other girl was looking better for saying this—she was certainly less pale and more comfortable with Rose.

"Well..." And Rose felt really bad. She tried to imagine if she had been randomly dumped into the muggle world, and she had to live totally surrounded by muggles without knowing anything about them. It didn't seem like very much fun... but what could she do? "I—"

"We don't really want advice." The smallest girl said quietly. "Just get your book and tell us about your cousin. Or your uncle. Or whoever. Please."

"Right." Rose turned to retrieve her history book, but paused along the way and turned back to the green eyed girl. "I'm Rose, by the way."

"I know," The girl looked away again. "It's one of a few things I've picked up."

Ouch. Rose hopped she hadn't taken that the wrong way... "What's your name?"

"Cody," The girl told her, looking at her once again. "Cody Collins."


	32. Hydras

In a coherent moment, Scorpius could cuss in three different languages. He usually didn't, because his grandmother strongly objected to any use of vulgar language in public, but he _could_.

This was not a coherent moment.

The creatures that were rubbing up against his legs, and indeed doing a fine imitation of a needy cat, at first looked like anorexic dragons. They were long and thin, and covered in scales so dark a green they may as well have been black. They steemed to be able to go from four-feet to two with relative ease, and though Scorpius couldn't see claws, he was willing to bet that they were there in retractable form. On their backs, their necks, and the tops of their heads they had spikes, which were down now, but could shoot up in a second if they wanted to. Their open mouths reveled half-grown fangs all around.

"They want you to pick them up!" Albus exclaimed, leaning down and scooping one up.

"...A hydra?!" Scorpius finally managed to get out. He reached down experimentally, and the one that remained on the floor licked him and nipped at his fingers playfully.

"Is that what they are?" Albus asked, trying to calm the squirming one in his arms. No luck. It pulled free of his grip, and jumped directly into Scorpius' lap, where it curled up and stared at him with it's beady black eyes.

"You two be careful with those," Hagrid said sternly. Scorpius was relieved when the giant pulled the creatures away from him. "I haven't got 'em de-venomed yet."

"They are... _tame_... right?" Scorpius asked, watching the giants carry the small animals to the other end of his hut and deposit them in what looked like an old dog basket.

"'Course they are!" Hagrid said with a smile, "'Tame as any dog I've owned, anyway." The giant rubbed their scales as they were common domesticated dogs. "I think it's about time we took their first heads off, though."

"What?!" Albus cried in alarm.

"You have to take their first heads off for them," Scorpius told the other boy quickly, soothing his fears. "It doesn't hurt them. In nature the mother does it, but since these two are domesticated it'll have to be done by a human." Scorpius stared at the pair for a moment. He had heard of domesticated hydras. They were rare, but they existed. He had never seen anyone that actually owned some though. "Will you be taking them to a vet or doing it yourself?" He asked Hagrid. Before the giant could answer, he thought of another question and added, "And do they belong to you, or to the school?"

"To the school," Hagrid said, "But I'm the one who'll be carin' for 'em." He pushed a blanket up so that it was blocking the hole in the basket, and returned to the table, leaving the two hydra hatchings to struggle and fail to jump out. "I don't think I'll be doing either. I trust the Scamader boys about as much as any vet around."

"But for a hydra beheading—"

Hagrid held up a hand, "They can do it. Last year I pushed those boys far past what Professor Armo—The Car of Magical Creatures teacher, you two wouldn't 'ave met him yet—expects of his seventh years, and they never once let me down. Al, if you could ask 'em to come on down tonight—"

"Sure!" Albus promised. "Can we help?"

The giant considered the question for a moment, then shrugged his massive shoulders, "I dun see why not. Don't know that they'll be much for ya ter do though."

"That's fine." Scorpius said, still staring at the creatures apprehensively.

Albus stole a glance toward the clock behind them, only to jump to his feet instantly. "Scorp, we're gonna be late!"

"Hm?" Scorpius followed his glance. "Oh! Well, _you're_ going to be late. I have a free hour." But he gathered his things and followed Albus toward the door anyway, not comfortable enough with the giant yet to impose on him without Albus there.

"Goodbye, Hagrid," Scorpius waved.

"Yeah! Later! And thanks!" Albus cried as he dashed out the door.

"Thank you," Scorpius repeated, internally beating himself for forgetting his manors. "And I'm in Ravenclaw with the Scamander twins." He explained, hoping to make up for it. "I'll probably see them before Albus does, and when I do I'll tell them you wanted them."

"Thanks," The giant nodded. "It was nice meeting you."

"Likewise." And Scorpius stepped out of the hut feeling as though he had just jumped an enormous hurdle. He was far from on good terms with Albus, but at least of the Slytherin's friends were willing to at least give him a chance.

* * *

Rose sighed, "Well, I guess this whole thing with my cousin started... well... back before my parents were even born. You see, there was this man—Lord Voldemort. He's in the History book," And she paused and flipped her book open to one of the later to show them, "But you shouldn't say his name very often—well, he didn't like muggles or muggleborns, so he raised up this army to fight them."

"Fight them?!" Cody echoed, "But what did we ever do to him?!"

Rose shrugged, "No one knows... Well, maybe my uncle does, but he doesn't talk about it anymore... Anyway, he raised up this army, and it was mostly made up of Slytherins. But you have to keep in mind," She added quickly, thinking of Albus, "That not every Slytherin joined, and not everyone that joined him was a Slytherin... So, he raises up this army, and they come really close to taking over the entire wizarding world, but then this prophesy was made about my uncle, saying that he was going to kill He Who Must Not Be Named—Lord Voldemort," Although it had been a long time since the Dark Lord's downfall, some of the social stigmas about his name remained. Rose didn't fear it herself, but her parents had raised her to be sensitive to other peoples feelings, so she didn't say it very often in public, not that her family discussed it very much anymore. "So, He Who Must Not Be Named tried to kill my uncle, and he died himself. But he wasn't really dead, because when my uncle was fourteen he came back. And then he really did take over the wizarding world for a while. But then my uncle defeated him again, and everything went back to normal... or at least I thought it had until we got here and my cousin Albus got sorted into Slytherin, and now everyone seems to think that he's turning his back on our family and he's going to turn into a Death Eater."

"Oh," Alexis said. "Well... what do you think?"

Rose sighed as they stepped into their History class. Her voice dropped to a whisper as they took three seats near the back of the room and waited for the rest of their house-mates to turn up. "I don't think Albus means to do anything wrong, but... I mean, Slytherins aren't really Blood Supremacists anymore. Most of the really bad family were put in therapy or sent to Azkaban, depending on their role in the war... but Slytherin is still a really dark—you know, with Dark Magic and stuff?"

The other girls shook their heads.

"Well..." Rose thought for a moment, "It's like... bad magic."

"Weaker magic?"

"No... Like, magic that hurts people. I don't really know... Anyway, I don't think Al's gonna go really bad, but I don't think he's safe with them either, you know?"

"Yeah." Cody nodded.

"And now even the papers are making this huge deal out of it, and I really wish people would just let our family handle it's own problems."

"They're just trying to help," Alexis reminded her. "...I think. They're trying to help _someone_, anyway. I'm pretty sure."

Rose sighed, "Well, we don't _want_ their help."

* * *

Albus really wished that someone would help him.

As the bell rang, beginning his Herbology class, he opened his book to take notes, but there was really only one thing he wanted to write on his paper.

_'Are you still mad at me?'_

He folded the paper a few times when his Uncle Nev—Professor Longbottom—wasn't looking, wrote Lisa's name on the front, and handed it to his partner, who passed it to the boy beside him, and so on until it was on Lisa's book.

She glared at it for a moment, but eventually opened it, read it, replied, and sent it back.

_'Of course! I got a detention!' _

Albus flinched. Thankfully the teacher didn't notice.

_'I'm sorry. Really. I didn't mean to get you into trouble. I thought you could handle your broom better.'_

Her next reply was no more forgiving.

_'Oh, so now I can't handle myself?'_

Albus had no idea how she managed to twist everything he said so badly.

_'No! That's not what I meant! Lisa, I_—'

"Well, Albus?"

The Slytherin boy jumped.

"I... er... what?" Bloody wonderful.

"Answer the question." Professor Longbottom was glaring at him.

"Er..." Just perfect. The first time he was going to get into trouble in class, and it was going to be with his Uncle Neville. "...Mandrake?" He guessed. Maybe if he was even close to right he'd be off the hook.


	33. Voices

**Author's Note:**** Yes, yes, I haven't updated in forever. I've been busy, okay? I'm sorry. Really. **

* * *

Proffessor Longbottom sighed, "No, Mr. Potter. We are not supposed to be on page 'Mandrake'. Even in Herbology, we do not number our books that way." He reached down casually and pulled the note off of Albus' desk.

Albus opened his mouth to protest, but was cut short when something crashed down on his foot. When he turned, he found his partner, Nick, glaring at him.

Nicolas Molyneux was one of the many first years that Albus hadn't quite been able to figure out yet. He was a pale and fragile-looking with medium-brown hair that probably wasn't cut as often as it should have been, greens eyes several shades lighters than Albus' own, and a frame that was small both around and in height. He seemed to rank only one or two places above Albus in the Slytherin Popularity Contest, because although Albus had often seen him sitting with the other three boys in their section of the dormitory, he didn't seem to enjoy their company any more than Albus did.

By the time Albus had returned his attention to the instructor, Neville had read the note, folded it, and was pocketing it when he met Albus' eyes, "Mr. Potter, I want you to remain behind for a moment when the bell rings."

"Yes, sir." Albus muttered, lowering his gaze to his desk.

"Mr. Molyneux and Mr. Johnson, will you two please try to keep your partners on task until then?"

"Yes, sir." Nick answered with Lisa's partner.

Class went on as usual from there, and Albus even managed to force himself to scribble down a few notes on the photosynthetic feeding habits of omnitrophs. When the bell rang, he didn't move, not even to look at his "uncle" while his classmates cleared the room.

"Albus," Neville said after a while, taking a much softer tone now that the others were gone, "What's going on?"

"Nothing, professor," Albus responded in monotone.

"Don't lie to me." A shadow engulfed Albus as Neville stood beside him. "I didn't ask questions when Ms. Wascon requested a new partner out of the blue, but now I really think—"

"Nothing is wrong," Albus repeated. He still didn't look at the teacher. "At least nothing that you can fix."

Neville slid into Nick's chair and put a hand on Albus' shoulder.

"Your next group of students will be here in less than twenty minutes." Albus sighed, "Am I in trouble?"

Professor Longbottom was quiet for a moment, "Not with me. I wish you'd let me help you, though."

"I don't need help!"

"Stop saying that, Albus." Professor Longbottom said sternly, "Since you arrived at school you've been behaving very oddly—"

"How am I supposed to behave?!" Albus demanded, turning now to meet the man's eyes. "It's like whatever I do, it's wrong!"

Neville looked startled for a moment, but quickly recovered, "How so?"

"Like when I was sorted—" And Albus stopped himself. No. He had promised himself he wouldn't even think about that part of things.

Neville misunderstood what he had begun to say, "Albus, your sorting shocked a lot of people, but that doesn't mean that it's wrong and people are upset."

Albus looked at his "uncle". He wanted to leave. Now. The greenhouse looked like one of the most open rooms in Hogwarts, but at the moment Albus was suffocating in it. "Everything is fine." He insisted again. "Can I go? Please?"

Professor Longbottom hesitated.

"I don't want to be late for Transfiguration!" Albus lied.

Neville frowned, "If you aren't going to talk to me I don't see what else I can do. Yes, you may go. But Albus..."

"Yes?"

"Please, if whatever is going on isn't important enough for you to tell me, take care of it outside of my classroom. I really should have taken points back there—"

"They'd kill me!"

Neville held up his hands, "Which is why I didn't... but don't put me in that situation again."

Albus thought it was best to just get out of here while he had the chance. "Yes, sir."

Neville blinked, and Albus was out the door.

As he turned to get ready for the class of fourth-year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs that would be arriving at any moment, he couldn't help but think that this probably called for a letter to Ginny.

* * *

They weren't going to listen. Scorpius knew that. He came from a very long line of men who never listened to a word that anyone else ever said. That was what had made his family what it was, for better or for worse.

Some things in life you just have to get used to. His father and grandfather were _never_ going to listen to him, but Scorpius was alright with that by now. There was some small release in just trying, and that was enough for him.

He had spent the last hour up in the owlery, scribbling out a letter to his elders asking them as politely as any eleven year old is capable of not to tell everyone and their daughter about what was going to happen this winter.

_Missing you still, _

_Sc—_

"_Scorpius!" _

The blond jumped.

He was the only thing in the room that had moved.

It was probably nothing. Some bloody bird had flapped it's wings, and Scorpius was sitting here freaking out about it because he's losing his mind...

He made his best attempt at turning the scribbled line that his sudden movement had created into an O and something that looked vaguely like a cursive R, and then quickly finished his first name.

"_Sssssorrrrrpiuuuuussss..."_

_And that was probably just a bird flapping it's wings very slowly_, Scorpius told himself. He could not, however, stop himself from looking around the room as though something were likely to jump out and eat him at any moment. _Or maybe it was multiple birds, all flying at once. And it just happened to sound a little bit like my name. Either way, it's probably nothing to worry about. _

He chose to ignore the fact that these birds with odd sounding wings must have been flying all around him, because that was where the sound seemed to be coming from.

He managed to get 'Malfoy' scrawled out without a hitch.

"_Scorpius Scorpius Scorpius Scorpius Scorpius Scorpius Scorpius Scorpius Scorpius Scorpius Scorpius Scorpius Scorpius."_

"I'm not that easily frightened," Scorpius lied to the world in general as he slid the letter into an envelope and summoned his owl down from above.

"_**Scorpius**!" _And this time, as though specifically to frighten the young Ravenclaw, the voice had a new bite to it.

"Very funny, guys," Scorpius called out to nothing.

Silence.

"Well, you aren't very good at this, are you?" He asked. "What? No death threats? No 'Leave And Never Return'?"

Silence.

Scorpius' fingers were shaking as he tied the letter onto the owl's leg. "You're pathetic." He informed his unseen hackler.

"_Scorpius_..."

"You aren't bothering me!" The blond insisted. Then he sent the owl off, and he **ran** downstairs.


	34. Off With Their Heads!

**Author's Note: Once again, I really am sorry that I've been so slow to update lately, and that this update is so short. I'm going through a bit of a Left Behind obsession, and it's difficult to work up the inspiration to write anything else. I'm sure it will pass soon enough. **

* * *

For reasons that he hoped were obvious, Scorpius did not say anything to his friends about the voices in the owlery. There was nothing that any of them could do, and Scorpius was not entirely sure what it had even been, so he assumed he was sparing his friends a lot of confusion and himself a bit of embarrassment by keeping it all quiet. Anyway, he wasn't quite prepared to explain to Albus why he'd been up there to begin with. Lorcan and Lysander were probably the sort to just stare at him blankly for a moment and then go on with their day if they found out that Scorpius' family still practiced Dark magic, but that was the sort of thing that upset Albus, and Scorpius didn't particularly want to upset Albus.

Anyway, he had more or less put it behind him by the time that he was standing in Hagrid's kitchen, watching the twins clean a pair of very sharp knives.

They were really going to do it. They were actually going to cut the heads off of a couple of venomous young hydras, and he seemed to be the only one who saw the stupidity in that.

Once the twins were confident that the knives were as clean as they were conceivably going to get, they placed them on the table and fetched the hydras. The moment the hydras were out of their bed, however, the leapt from Lorcan and Lysander's arms and ran to Scorpius' lap.

The twins seemed troubled by this, but Albus apparently found it hilarious. "They really do like you," he giggled.

The Malfoy heir stared, unsure whether or not it would be less risky to brush them off than it would be to leave them there.

Lysander shrugged after a moment. "Can you hold them?"

"What?" It funny. Scorpius could have sworn that Lysander just seriously asked him—

"Can. You. Hold. Them.?"

No. Absolutely not. There were a thousand reasons _why_ not, too. They were dangerous, and they were covered in scales and they felt weird. They were creepy. They were too young to control themselves, and Scorpius didn't know what was going to happen when someone approached them with a knife. They... they... "They'll get blood on my clothes," was the least cowardly answer, Scorpius decided.

"So?" The pair asked in unison.

"They'll probably get it on ours, too," Lorcan pointed out.

Lysander shrugged, "It's not like **we** have to clean 'em. The house elves are good at that sort of thing."

"Yes, _of course_ they are, but—"

Lorcan sighed, "Oh _come on_, Scorpius!"

"—What am I supposed to say when the headmaster writes my father to tell him I've been wondering around covered in blood?"

"Say that we've done nothing wrong," Lysander told him as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "We're with a school employee," He nodded to Hagrid, "So there's really nothing that they can do."

Scorpius gazed at the hydras lying quietly in his lap. The others didn't understand. Doing something _wrong_ and doing something that his father—or, more realistically, his grandfather—would not approve of were entirely different things. In Scorpius' experience, the latter was far more dangerous than the former in almost all cases.

But the other boys were looking very annoyed, so he sighed and placed a hand on the back of each hydra, and looked to the twins with silent permission to continue.

The two first years and the giant stared as the twins took their seats opposite Scorpius. They both took the creatures' heads in their left hand and stretched the necks out. Albus let out a small whimper as they took both heads off with one clean sweep.

The blood _did_ make a horrible mess of Scorpius' uniform, but it was difficult to focus on that while he watched the stumps of the two should-be-dead creatures in his lap grow outward about an inch before splitting down the middle and continuing to grow in two different directions. Bones shaped before his eyes, covered nearly instantly by skin which quickly turned to scales. In less than five seconds, Scorpius went from having no heads gazing up at him to having four.

* * *

James was exhausted. The year was not getting off to greatest of starts and, at this point, all he honestly wanted was to fall into bed and sleep through the next six years.

He relaxed under the covers and sighed. The room was quiet.

"...R.A..."

James' eyes popped open.

The room was dark. No one had come in. James was alone.

"R.A." It was exactly the same as before. Voices everywhere, and he couldn't recognize a single one of them.

"What's that?" He wondered aloud, though he knew that he wasn't going to get an answer.

"R.A." There was no bite to the voices now though. They weren't playing with him. They were speaking quite calmly, as though they had dropped in merely to deliver that message and then leave.

"Yes. R.A. What is it?"

The dormitory was quiet. It stayed quiet.


End file.
